B&W critiques wanted please
Oct 24, 2011 09:46:35 #
These were taken at my grandson's birthday party this weekend and I would appreciate some critiques/comments. I'm adding the stats too - see I am learning. :))
ISO 400, 1/60, F8
ISO 400, 1/200, F8
1/60, F8
Oct 24, 2011 10:30:50 #
How are you converting to B/W? Are you running an action/preset, desaturating?
A good Black and White conversation is difficult, you are on the right track, I personally would like to see a little more white. This look more gray and black than white and black.
A good Black and White conversation is difficult, you are on the right track, I personally would like to see a little more white. This look more gray and black than white and black.
Oct 24, 2011 10:36:18 #
MWAC wrote:
How are you converting to B/W? Are you running an action/preset, desaturating?
A good Black and White conversation is difficult, you are on the right track, I personally would like to see a little more white. This look more gray and black than white and black.
A good Black and White conversation is difficult, you are on the right track, I personally would like to see a little more white. This look more gray and black than white and black.
I agree, boost the contrast some more, the first photo is a great portrait, the other two are just OK.
Eric
Oct 24, 2011 10:41:47 #
I mostly like the tonal range. May be odd, but that is who I am - the first thing that struck me is that all of these were shot in blotchy or spotty sunlight. Not trying to say it is wrong but to me the really great black and whites when they have shadows are very defined - shadows that give direction or draws the eyes. Spotty shadows just seem to lie there. As to the technique you use - have you tried to just reduce the satuaration, maybe to just a tinge of color. And that takes care of my ramble on this subject.
Oct 24, 2011 14:08:28 #
MWAC wrote:
How are you converting to B/W? Are you running an action/preset, desaturating?
A good Black and White conversation is difficult, you are on the right track, I personally would like to see a little more white. This look more gray and black than white and black.
A good Black and White conversation is difficult, you are on the right track, I personally would like to see a little more white. This look more gray and black than white and black.
Actually, the Cannon Powershot SX120 has a setting that I can switch to to shoot in B&W or even Sepia. These were unedited other than some cropping. Thank you for the compliments and tips.
Mother and Son before edit
after some fiddling
Oct 25, 2011 08:34:35 #
nikondaddy
Loc: Mayfield,Kentucky
actually nothing wrong with them a photographer must standby their work like a person making a decision but remember black and white is a story of highlites and shadows and tones into white and black.
Oct 25, 2011 09:47:20 #
Thank you for your comments. I am trying to get back into B&W photography - used to load and develop my own many years ago. And now that B&W film is so scarce I'm trying to learn how to get similar results with my digital. ;) ;)
Oct 25, 2011 10:03:25 #
mahma wrote:
Thank you for your comments. I am trying to get back into B&W photography - used to load and develop my own many years ago. And now that B&W film is so scarce I'm trying to learn how to get similar results with my digital. ;) ;)
I would recommend shoting in colour and then converting to B/W in post. You will have more controll over the outcome (much like a darkroom for film), and I promise you will be even happier with the outcome.
Oct 25, 2011 12:35:44 #
MWAC wrote:
I would recommend shoting in colour and then converting to B/W in post. You will have more controll over the outcome (much like a darkroom for film), and I promise you will be even happier with the outcome.
mahma wrote:
Thank you for your comments. I am trying to get back into B&W photography - used to load and develop my own many years ago. And now that B&W film is so scarce I'm trying to learn how to get similar results with my digital. ;) ;)
I would recommend shoting in colour and then converting to B/W in post. You will have more controll over the outcome (much like a darkroom for film), and I promise you will be even happier with the outcome.
Ok, I've gone back and converted one of the "Mules/horse" photos and done some major cropping and adjusting and would appreciate your opinion on what I've done. The stats are original shot F3.2 1/1000 ISO 200
Original
Converted
Oct 25, 2011 12:39:39 #
I like that conversion & dramatic crop. I'm a fan of high contrast in general...
Oct 25, 2011 12:45:55 #
Thank you! I like color photos, but my passion for photography started with my high school photography class, where we loaded our own film and did all the developing and printing and mounting ourselves. I had a LOT of fun that year. I started taking photos with a Brownie instamatic when I was 8.
Oct 25, 2011 13:06:25 #
alaskanfrog
Loc: Alaska
one thing about shooting in black and white, is how easy it is to get creative. It's much more forgiving than color photography. For instance, shooting on a bright sunny day gives people raccoon eyes. If shooting under trees, the dappled light conditions create unwanted shadows and bright spots that look awful in color, but that is not so in black and white.
Now, if you really want to make your black and white photos pop out, try putting a red filter on your camera lens. You will be amazed at the differences in the light and dark areas of a photo. Red lens filters are difficult to come by nowadays because it's old school technology. I know, I've been looking around for the last 3 years, trying to find a red filter for my camera.
for a little critique of the top pictures, the original is actually the better composition. It shows a Mom and her little one interacting on a personal level. The party hat on the little one says that there was a birthday party or some sort of celebration going on. The absence of any activity in the background suggests that this is alone time with Mom and Son, or that the party ended... In my personal and professional opinion, keeping it simple is best and in this case, the original unmodified photo tells the best story. While cropping it in makes the story a little more personal in some respects, adding the vignette border is distracting and actually takes away from the story that unfolded when the photo was taken... This is my thought and opinions. Keep shooting, but keep it simple. you already have a leg up with a camera capable of shooting in "Monochrome" aka "Black and White." Keep shooting, and happy snapping...
Now, if you really want to make your black and white photos pop out, try putting a red filter on your camera lens. You will be amazed at the differences in the light and dark areas of a photo. Red lens filters are difficult to come by nowadays because it's old school technology. I know, I've been looking around for the last 3 years, trying to find a red filter for my camera.
for a little critique of the top pictures, the original is actually the better composition. It shows a Mom and her little one interacting on a personal level. The party hat on the little one says that there was a birthday party or some sort of celebration going on. The absence of any activity in the background suggests that this is alone time with Mom and Son, or that the party ended... In my personal and professional opinion, keeping it simple is best and in this case, the original unmodified photo tells the best story. While cropping it in makes the story a little more personal in some respects, adding the vignette border is distracting and actually takes away from the story that unfolded when the photo was taken... This is my thought and opinions. Keep shooting, but keep it simple. you already have a leg up with a camera capable of shooting in "Monochrome" aka "Black and White." Keep shooting, and happy snapping...
Oct 25, 2011 13:33:04 #
Thanks for the encouraging words. I will. As to the lens and filters, my Cannon Powershot is simply a fancy point and shoot. Until I can afford something more upscale I'll keep trying to get the best out of this one. :)
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