They say practice makes perfect, so photographer Jason M. Peterson should be pretty close to excellence by now. During the last 25 years, Peterson has been taking black and white pictures, constantly pushing his limits, and his persistent artistic efforts have gained him a whopping 1-million-strong following on Instagram.

"To me, my photos aren't about black and white at all," Peterson told My Modern Met. "I am trying to capture human emotion, make the viewer feel something. Black and white helps focus on that emotion—color is one less thing to be in the way of seeing the feeling."

Peterson is an expert when it comes to bringing out the best in shadows, playing with angles and lines, or simply composing the shot. His portfolio has a huge variety of photos, including cityscapes and street photography. They're bold and graphic, and the strong visual storytelling that Peterson learned in the advertising world (he works as the Chief Creative Officer for Havas North America) blends with the aesthetics perfectly.

More info: Instagram (h/t mmm)