[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by lynweber

So how can I make it less noisy? I know I should turn down the ISO should I do this in manual and if so what would be a good aperture? Or does that really matter on a shot like this.

As far as contrast how can i fix that? Should I sharpen and stuff first before turning to BW or is there a different way of using BW that would turn out better see post above for how I did it.

What type of light did you use? If you have better lighting (even shot by really good window light coming in with something for reflection on the opposite side), you can use a lower ISO. ISO cannot be adjusted in full Auto, but can be in any of the manual/semi-manual modes. Opening up your aperture will help too, obviously - but you'll need to watch where you focus even more carefully. What mode did you take this in? Program, Aperture Priority, Auto?

Sharpening should be the last thing you do in PP. Contrast can be adjusted using the contrast/brightness tool (one of many ways to do so, some swear by curves, but it's a good way to start when learning).