How do you make black and white look more contrasy, without...?

[harmonica]

Sorry I meant contrasty obviously. When taking black and white pics, it looks more like natural black and white photography to have as much black and white in the photo as possible and not so much grey. One way to get more black and white in the pic is too turn the contrast up in the camera. However, doing so causes people to become puffy-eyed. It's not just her in the picture, I tried it on myself as well, and yeah, the eye bags look more puffy, even with make up on.

So when it comes possible clients who want to hire you, but want pictures with the contrasty look right from the camera, when you're done, what can I do in camera, to get a more contrasty look, but not get puffy eyes, if that's possible.

Thanks!

 

[timor]

Interesting question... I mean interesting angle. To not to get this puffy eyes start with light proper for portrait and that would be soft light, light which doesn't create shadows. Then you can experiment with contrast.

 

[dxqcanada]

What does the colour image look like ?
There is a reason why that area is dark.

 

[runnah]

I would never give paying clients straight out of camera images.

Secondly I would never use the inboard editing adjustments as you can never undo them.

 

[harmonica]

Okay thanks. I don't mind using the in camera adjustments, and I usually do both. I will do flat ones, and adjusted ones. As for using soft light, this client who wants to hire me, wants high key lighting. She looked at some pics I did with high key, and liked them. However, those pics I took in the examples were on a cloudy day with softer light, and the eye bags are still there.

 

[hamlet]

I just use lightroom.

before:

after:

 

[harmonica]

Okay thanks, but how do you get this right without using programs like lightroom or photoshop? I mean before lightroom and photoshop existed I assume photographers had to get it right in camera and with certain films, so I would like to do that too. Take pictures as if lightroom or post software wasn't invented yet, and I had to do it right to begin with.

 

[D-B-J]

Okay thanks, but how do you get this right without using programs like lightroom or photoshop? I mean before lightroom and photoshop existed I assume photographers had to get it right in camera and with certain films, so I would like to do that too. Take pictures as if lightroom or post software wasn't invented yet, and I had to do it right to begin with.

I think it really depended on the film and how it reacted to light. Some films innately were contrastier or punchier than others. Also, you can dodge and burn in a darkroom.. so they did do some editing, of sorts.

Cheers!
Jake

 

[KmH]

Okay thanks, but how do you get this right without using programs like lightroom or photoshop?

You can't.

The in-the-camera adjustments are to crude and to limited.
The biggest limitation in-the-camera is that it has to make an 8-bit depth JPEG monochrome image file.

You need to covert to B&W from the Raw file - post process. Raw files are always initially converted in color.

Digital Black & White Photography
Advanced Digital Black & White Photography (A Lark Photography Book)

 

[harmonica]

Okay thanks. Yes you are right D-B-J, that there were more contrasty films used. I tried to mimic a more contrasty film by turning the contrast up in camera. Should I just shoot completely flat then, and add later? I tried that before but it adds more noise to the image to crush the blacks, and make the whites more white. So I am hesitant because of past experience with more noise in the image. As long as it's a sunny day, it's no problem, but on pics taken at night or in lower light areas, the noise is more apparent when playing around with 'curves', even in black and white if it's the contrast and exposure in curves.

 

[D-B-J]

Okay thanks. Yes you are right D-B-J, that there were more contrasty films used. I tried to mimic a more contrasty film by turning the contrast up in camera. Should I just shoot completely flat then, and add later? I tried that before but it adds more noise to the image to crush the blacks, and make the whites more white. So I am hesitant because of past experience with more noise in the image. As long as it's a sunny day, it's no problem, but on pics taken at night or in lower light areas, the noise is more apparent when playing around with 'curves', even in black and white if it's the contrast and exposure in curves.

Well something doesn't make sense. You shouldn't have intense noise issues unless you are shooting at crazy high ISO's. And yes, doing B+W conversions in post processing is how it should be done.

 

[harmonica]

Okay thanks. I figured it was better to shoot B & W to begin with, since most pros do it that way it seems. At least in film days. No one seemed to shoot on color film then turn it to B & W later. They would actually spend more money on B & W film, so I thought the purpose was that that look already being on the film helped. But if I shoot on a camera picture style to begin with, what picture style and what camera settings should I use?

 

[D-B-J]

Okay thanks. I figured it was better to shoot B & W to begin with, since most pros do it that way it seems. At least in film days. No one seemed to shoot on color film then turn it to B & W later. They would actually spend more money on B & W film, so I thought the purpose was that that look already being on the film helped. But if I shoot on a camera picture style to begin with, what picture style and what camera settings should I use?

That was back when there wasn't such a streamlined "post-production" process. Why limit yourself to some crappy, in-camera, lack-luster monochrome image that you can never turn back to color, when you don't HAVE to?

 

[harmonica]

Okay then thanks. I usually do a variety of different kinds under different settings, so then I have all my pictures pre-made to choose from. But if I shoot in color and turn it into black and white, what camera settings should I use then?

 

[D-B-J]

I use none. I solely shoot RAW format, and do all the editing myself later in post production. The camera's great and all, but I've never been pleased with JPEG files. They are too small and compressed, and don't have the edit-ability that RAW files do.