How do you achieve this effect in Photoshop?

[JDBB]

Hey guys, say you take a color picture with a dSLR and then want to convert it into black and white so that it looks like this for example.

You know what I mean? The very dark background and the merely gray subject. High contrast. Very a la Anne Geddes. How can I achieve that effect from a regular color picture. How much is the setting and how much is the photoshop? Can it be done just with photoshop and without the physical settings? I don't have a black backdrop if that's what that is.
Here's another example on flickr of a great artist that achieves these great effects.

http://flickr.com/photos/14080255@N08/2183674849

Any help is surely appreciated

 

[ann]

black backdrop and carefully lighting

 

[freelunch]

As ann said, or you could achieve that result (solid black) with a cutout (paths, bezier curves).

 

[JDBB]

How do you do that in photoshop though:er:?

 

[Makavelli]

How do you do that in photoshop though:er:?

It can be done in photoshop without any physical settings.
If you are using a color photo first you convert it into black and white.
Then you go to "Image~adjustment~Levels and slide the top bar all the way to the right turning everything black.
click back to your black and white layer in your history box
Now on the same history box, click the small box on the LEFT of "levels"
Next you press the Y on your keyboard to get the history brush. Choose a soft brush, choose the opacity of your brush and start painting over everything you want turn black .
To get all the small details I usually magnify the picture so you can see everything in great detail.

 

[JDBB]

It can be done in photoshop without any physical settings.
If you are using a color photo first you convert it into black and white.
Then you go to "Image~adjustment~Levels and slide the top bar all the way to the right turning everything black.
click back to your black and white layer in your history box
Now on the same history box, click the small box on the LEFT of "levels"
Next you press the Y on your keyboard to get the history brush. Choose a soft brush, choose the opacity of your brush and start painting over everything you want turn black .
To get all the small details I usually magnify the picture so you can see everything in great detail.

Can't seem to make it work. I get stuck in trying to paint over whatever I want black