B&W photo for C&C

[Josh220]

Let me know what you think. I didn't expect to make this B&W when I took it, but when I wasn't happy with the color version I decided to explore the B&W settings and came out with this.

 

[Josh220]

Bump

I guess it's pretty bad?

 

[bigboi3]

I like it. Maybe a little more contrast would make it a lot better?

 

[Josh220]

Thanks

Anyone else?

 

[c.cloudwalker]

I have the same problem with B&W digital photography that I had/have with movies that were shot in color but printed and shown in theaters as B&W. An obvious lack of understanding of the black and white image magic.

Clicking a button in your photo editing software to make an image B&W when it was not thought out in B&W just makes it a color photo switched to B&W.

Your photo is missing two of the fundamentals of B&W photography. No white and no black.

 

[Josh220]

I have the same problem with B&W digital photography that I had/have with movies that were shot in color but printed and shown in theaters as B&W. An obvious lack of understanding of the black and white image magic.

Clicking a button in your photo editing software to make an image B&W when it was not thought out in B&W just makes it a color photo switched to B&W.

Your photo is missing two of the fundamentals of B&W photography. No white and no black.

Converting an image to B&W is not simply clicking a button. If that is your process, perhaps that is the reason why yours lack the "black and white".

I do not believe that you must see it as a B&W at the point of capture. If you see it on your screen at home, and think it would look better as a B&W, then that is just as good of a process.

 

[SrBiscuit]

cloudwalker, i think you made an unfair assumption about josh's conversion process. (if, of course, you were assuming that his process does end at the click of the grayscale button)

i agree josh...changing the mode from rgb to grayscale is NOT the end of the process. i do a lot of levels, contrast, and sometimes curves on my conversions.

 

[Rich Ardt]

This image would have worked better in b/w than in color. But, unfortunately, it doesn't work either way.

I can see where you want to go with it, but there are too many other elements that are missing. My eye is wandering all over the place, wanting to rest somewhere, but whatever there is to see, is either obscured or it's simply just too big.

The lines are what works, but that's it. They/it need/s something to compliment them/it, or to emphasize them/it. More space would be nice. A more creative angle would be good. It's all there. You're just not seeing it.

Black and white conversion digitally sure is much easier than a traditional darkroom requires, but it's not simply about clicking a button, unless of course, you ARE just clicking a button. I realize your attempts at dodging and burning some areas. The sky is a bit too much, of both.

What is true about the button clicking scenario though, is you cannot fix a dull image, no matter how many buttons you click. Go back, bury yourself in the sand, see it as black and white this time, and go haywire... IMO.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

"Clicking a button" is just a figure of speech.

You asked for c&c, you got it. But if you don't want the opinions of others, don't ask for it.

I'm enough of an old timer that B&W was all I did for my personal work. 1/ color photography was not really considered art. 2/ setting up a color darkroom was way more complicated because of temperature control and overall cost. As a result, we learned to see in B&W.

Whether you believe or not makes no difference. Don't ask for advice if you don't want it.

 

[Josh220]

"Clicking a button" is just a figure of speech.

You asked for c&c, you got it. But if you don't want the opinions of others, don't ask for it.

I'm enough of an old timer that B&W was all I did for my personal work. 1/ color photography was not really considered art. 2/ setting up a color darkroom was way more complicated because of temperature control and overall cost. As a result, we learned to see in B&W.

Whether you believe or not makes no difference. Don't ask for advice if you don't want it.

I asked for advice, and have taken everyone's into consideration. I just disagreed with your thought process in saying it's a one-click method (Yes, I realize you tried to back-track this comment just now) and that you must see it in B&W at the point of capture.

I never disagreed with your critique on the image itself, just on your logics.

If you ascertained the difference between the two, I think you would be less abrasive towards others.


Thanks everyone else for the C&C. I'll take it into consideration. I may go back to this location since it's just about a mile from my house and try to re-compose it.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

"I asked for advice, and have taken everyone's into consideration"

Everyone being one person before me. WOW!

If you want to learn don't be so thin skinned. I've got 35+ years of photo behind me so, yes, I feel like I can help but if you don't want it that's fine with me.

In the meantime, if you really want my abrasive c&c, just ask

 

[Josh220]

"I asked for advice, and have taken everyone's into consideration"

Everyone being one person before me. WOW!

If you want to learn don't be so thin skinned. I've got 35+ years of photo behind me so, yes, I feel like I can help but if you don't want it that's fine with me.

In the meantime, if you really want my abrasive c&c, just ask

If you'd like to critique the photo, then please go right ahead. That's all I have said since the first post. I am not thin skinned, I just didn't feel that converting to B&W is a one-step process.


Now that we have that all settled, back to the C&C! Thanks in advance for any further input.