B&W conversions

abraxas · Feb 20, 2007

I've been working with these shots for over a month and still can't get what I want out of them- too colorful, too vivid. So I tried converting some to B&W. What do you think?

1.

2.

3.

4.

1986 · Feb 20, 2007

i like them and the black & white looks cool too

fightheheathens · Feb 21, 2007

i think 3 and 4 are the best compositionally here...but not to say id like to see them in color...but :mrgreen:

i really do like three

abraxas · Feb 21, 2007

fightheheathens said:
i think 3 and 4 are the best compositionally here...but not to say id like to see them in color...but :mrgreen:

i really do like three

#3 didn't come out too bad in color. #4 looked too yellow. #1 was just plain freakish. #2 looked the best in full color.

Still too vivid for me.

LaFoto · Feb 22, 2007

I am sure to have seen #3 on here in colour and I am also sure that I liked it at the time.

I am not sure about #1, you say the colour version was "plain freakish" ... the b&w has many artefacts now, I wonder where they are from, and could it be oversharpened?

As to the composition of these four photos, I am not sure I find the first two your top of the pops, with regards to just that: composition. I much prefer the bottom two.

My posts indicates that I must be in a stage of total confusion

... I don't seem sure about anything :roll: (so many times the word "sure" :roll: :roll: :roll: - sorry

).

lostprophet · Feb 22, 2007

not sure about the 1st shot but the others.. well... err.... rock!
think the biggest improvement is #3 it just looks so much better in B&W

abraxas · Feb 24, 2007

I reworked #1 and converted it from the rework instead of desaturating the messed up color version again. Looks much better- no sharpening.

Although the canyon is incredible to see in person, the B&W versions are much easier on the eyeballs. I like them better also.

LaFoto · Feb 25, 2007

Better new version of the first photo. No more sharp line between sky and rock. I must still go learn how to do conversions by using the Channel Mixer and what effects I can create by pushing and pulling the different colours in grayscale. I have so far only read about it but never converted a photo of mine using that path.

abraxas · Feb 25, 2007

LaFoto said:
Better new version of the first photo. No more sharp line between sky and rock. I must still go learn how to do conversions by using the Channel Mixer and what effects I can create by pushing and pulling the different colours in grayscale. I have so far only read about it but never converted a photo of mine using that path.

I haven't tried that either- I adjust curves, contrast and desaturate back and forth until I get close to what I want. I tried the channel mixer a couple times but am a bit impatient. I need to sit down and look at some of Ansel's work- my brother's been telling me bits about some of his techniques that sound interesting.