Black and White Tips and Tricks in LR or PS

[lwellsphoto]

A professor friend of mine told me one of the hardest things he had to learn was getting skin tone right in black and white. I would love your advice: how do you get "that" black and white shot.

I'm linking not to my portfolio but images of a photographer whose b&w portraits I like
Copyright: Alexandra Wolf:
http://static.squarespace.com/stati...01817049234/Julia (75 of 654).jpg?format=500w

http://static.squarespace.com/stati...94/Alexandra Wolf Photography.jpg?format=500w

So tell me: what are your tips and tricks for that favorite black and white portrait?

Thanks!

 

[Derrel]

Some of the Lightroom presets make good B&W images. Infrared can do good work; pull the expsure wayyy back after applying the preset. ALSO, and this I cannot stress enough: consider using the filter effects, like yellow, green, orange filters. Using some of Matt K's color presets, then going to Black and WHite in Lightroom, then applying green is often pretty good. Ultimate Fighter, then B&W, then green filter often looks really nice.

 

[AlanKlein]

That's funny. I didn't like either of those samples. The first the skin was blown out white. The second it was blotchy, very unflattering to the model.

In any case, the best thing to do is play with the sliders until you get the skin tones you like. What would be the point if you follow someone else's method to get the results you don't like?

 

[Derrel]

The above are some Lightroom B&W presents, modified a bit. I'm overall happy with the different effects I can get using about a dozen of the presets, and adjusting a few parameters, depending on the original capture and on the subject matter.