Still trying...C&C

[bunny99123]

I am still trying to get the black and white in the ball park. I love black and whites, but I just can't seem to get it right. Please, C&C these photos? Go a head I am ready for anything..I want to learn. Thanks

 

[JackandSally]

I can't add much CC but I do want to say, I love these photos.

 

[bunny99123]

Thank you, these are first photos I have ever posted on black and white some one has loved. I like them, too. I had to take the barns from the Highway with 70-210mm Minolta lens, and the tree is on top Petit Jean Mnt. I live in Arkansas.

 

[Designer]

When you say you "can't seem to get it right", what exactly are you trying to do?

 

[fjrabon]

1) horizon seems tilted. Otherwise I think a strong image.
2) tonally unbalanced compositionally. The strong black of the foreground tree is very disconcerting so far to the image right, without anything to counterbalance it on the left.
3) barn seems a bit overexposed
4) very tonally cluttered. the falling down structure is compelling, but all the tonal clutter really mucks the image up and keeps anything from particularly standing out.

 

[bunny99123]

What is tonal cluttered? 1) I don't know how to straighten the horizion, since is taken on the top of a mountain. I may have taken the photo in an maybe another angle. #2, You are correct. It is too balanced to the right. 3, is over exposed, that is what I am talking about. I can't seem to get it just right. If I lighten the photo, then other areas are too dark. 4) is too cluttered, but I loved the building. How would you have shot this photo to make it appear less cluttered? A house was in front of it, so should I have taken it from another angle?

Designer, I want a balanced black and white photo. I am going to continue to practice.
Thanks

 

[kathyt]

I like your textures and subject matter here, but do you have a wider lens. I think everything is too compacted, especially on #2, 3, and 4. Some open space could have really helped open these up a bit. I like #3 the best.

 

[bunny99123]

Kathy, no I don't. Wish I did. I am on a budget right now, so these were taken with a 70-200mm Minolta Maxxuim lens. Add reducing less clutter to my list when shooting. Thank you

 

[semicolon]

I really like no. 3


Is this closer to the look you want? I did this in Snapseed on my iPad. Someone could do much better in Photoshop.

 

[Rick58]

I really like no. 3


Is this closer to the look you want? I did this in Snapseed on my iPad. Someone could do much better in Photoshop.

Ouch.... Really? I like contrasty B&W, but you're supposed to leave at least a couple grays

 

[Rick58]

I like 3 and 4.
#4 would be my favorite except for some comp issues. The foreground branch is cluttering up the subject and you clipped the left lower corner. The processing also seems a little harsh.
The barn in #3 is also a really nice subject, but again, I find the fence a little distracting.
#2 might have some promise, but it's shot straight-on. I can see by the textures, there could be some interesting possibilities there also.

If these are local to you and if you have free access to roam around, it would definitely be worth another trip.

 

[timor]

Agree with Rick completely. If you can go back to this barns, do it. If you have some ultra wide lens, use it, it helps to isolate big subjects from the surroundings by getting to them very close.

 

[fjrabon]

What is tonal cluttered? 1) I don't know how to straighten the horizion, since is taken on the top of a mountain. I may have taken the photo in an maybe another angle. #2, You are correct. It is too balanced to the right. 3, is over exposed, that is what I am talking about. I can't seem to get it just right. If I lighten the photo, then other areas are too dark. 4) is too cluttered, but I loved the building. How would you have shot this photo to make it appear less cluttered? A house was in front of it, so should I have taken it from another angle?

Designer, I want a balanced black and white photo. I am going to continue to practice.
Thanks

Tonally cluttered means you have a lot of the same gray scale values that are in overlapping parts of the image, which makes it hard to differentiate the different parts of the photo. The leaves and fence blend in with the barn because of how close all the tones are.

You can straighten an image in post processing. Use the back horizon as your guide.

Use selective dodge and burn to lighten or darken specific parts of a photo.

 

[fjrabon]

Here's how I'd edit the barn photograph:


Barn 2 blk and white 4x6 by franklinrabon, on Flickr

Essentially I just burned the barn, pulled the highlights on the barn as much as possible, then reduced overall contrast while adding mid contrast. Also added some sharpness and some definition (which those last two were likely mostly needed because of the fact that I didn't have the original image, and was going off an upload to TPF).

 

[Designer]

Designer, I want a balanced black and white photo. I am going to continue to practice.
Thanks

Oh, I see. The tonal range of digital is working against your goal. B&W film (and the prints) had a much wider range which is difficult in digital, but fjrabon (above) has done very well.