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[thereyougo!]

Nikon D800 Nikkor 24 - 70 at 1/2000 ƒ/5.6 ISO 100 42 mm



Looking-down-the-dock-of-the-bay by singingsnapper, on Flickr

another from a similar position but looking towards the steelworks:


1/400 ƒ/11 ISO 100 48 mm



Mid-Afternoon-over-Taibach-and-the-steelworks by singingsnapper, on Flickr


and the same shot, cropped to 4:3



Looking-over-Taiback-crop by singingsnapper, on Flickr

 

[ceeboy14]

Good compositions, exposure and focus, but...

I followed the link into your flickr pages and while there are a few exceptions, in almost every conversion to B&W you either leave or in some way affect your blacks in a manner which leaves no detail. They're just black. even on the darkest night, if there is a partial moon, stars or a light off in the distance, there is some detail in the blacks. I like a good black in a deep shadow but I want a less black to lead me into that shadow and I don't seem to get that from your images. Oddly enough, while your blacks go to hay, your whites, especially in your snow shots are damn near perfect; such a strange twist.

In most cases, the same is true of your color images. In some way, for some reason you are oversaturating your darkest areas in such a manner as to obliterate your detail. If the detail and saturation is dead in the original, converting to B&W is only going to acerbate the problem and not provide a cure. I am curious to know the process you use for B&W conversion. In some ways it looks screamingly similar to using the "desaturate" adjustment and calling it macaroni, yet it really does seem to have more ilk to it that that. There is one image on your flickr pages, "Snowy Clouds over a Snowy Langsdale" where the porridge is sweet and creamy. Do whatever you did on that image for the rest of your conversions, and we'll all be joining you for breakfast.

 

[thereyougo!]

Good compositions, exposure and focus, but...

I followed the link into your flickr pages and while there are a few exceptions, in almost every conversion to B&W you either leave or in some way affect your blacks in a manner which leaves no detail. They're just black. even on the darkest night, if there is a partial moon, stars or a light off in the distance, there is some detail in the blacks. I like a good black in a deep shadow but I want a less black to lead me into that shadow and I don't seem to get that from your images. Oddly enough, while your blacks go to hay, your whites, especially in your snow shots are damn near perfect; such a strange twist.

In most cases, the same is true of your color images. In some way, for some reason you are oversaturating your darkest areas in such a manner as to obliterate your detail. If the detail and saturation is dead in the original, converting to B&W is only going to acerbate the problem and not provide a cure. I am curious to know the process you use for B&W conversion. In some ways it looks screamingly similar to using the "desaturate" adjustment and calling it macaroni, yet it really does seem to have more ilk to it that that. There is one image on your flickr pages, "Snowy Clouds over a Snowy Langsdale" where the porridge is sweet and creamy. Do whatever you did on that image for the rest of your conversions, and we'll all be joining you for breakfast.

I do use a fair amount of contrast in post processing, but on my calibrated macbook pro retina, I can still see detail in the shadows. They are definitely darker on here and on Flickr than they are on my MBP. Thanks for the comments in any case will have a look... I certainly don't just desaturate, I do use red filters a fair bit on blue skies as I like the contrasty look. I use silver efex for black and white conversions.


Some from the hill above my home town;


Carl Zeiss 35 ZF2 f/2 at 15 sec ƒ/16 ISO 50 35 mm



Just-after-sunset-above-Swansea-Bay by singingsnapper, on Flickr


CZ 35 f/2 at 151 sec ƒ/16 ISO 50 35 mm



Twilight from above Port Talbot by singingsnapper, on Flickr

 

[smenkhare]

I think number 1 works the best for me, and on the second batch number 2

 

[thereyougo!]

A couple from this evenings 9 mile walk and shoot. Last night before the clocks go forward, so traffic will be too light for traffic trails again.


Nikon D800 and Nikkor 24 - 70


73 sec ƒ/14 ISO 100 62 mm



Steelworks-from-Mynydd-Margam by singingsnapper, on Flickr


30 sec ƒ/14 ISO 50 70 mm



Taibach-M4 by singingsnapper, on Flickr

 

[Alzran]

I do appreciate the black and white photos in the way they express kind of a dull feeling, which kinda fits my mood right now. But those full-color long exposure shots are fantastic!