No trespassing

[mikelandl]

Took this shot the other day. Cold, miserable grey day. Didn't like the way the colors in the original turned out so tried my hand at converting to b&w. Never had much luck converting to b&w before. I like the look of the building but find the sky to be lacking. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Olympus E-510
14-42mm f/3.5-5.6
42mm
ISO 100
f8
1/4 sec

Converted to black and white in Photoshop CS3

[bruceliv]

What steps did you take in PS? Did you reduce saturation or utilize the channel mixer?

[mikelandl]

Originally Posted by bruceliv

What steps did you take in PS? Did you reduce saturation or utilize the channel mixer?

Actually I used a gradient map technique I saw in one of Scott Kelby's Photoshop books. I can try reducing saturation and using the channel mixer. Thanks for the suggestions.

[bruceliv]

Originally Posted by mikelandl

... I can try reducing saturation and using the channel mixer. Thanks for the suggestions.

Not my recommendation. Just asking how you were converting.
Do not reduce saturation. In fact, adjust for the best color image you can make! Using color image, go to Image/adjustments/black&white, then play with the mixer.

[mikelandl]

Originally Posted by bruceliv

Not my recommendation. Just asking how you were converting.
Do not reduce saturation. In fact, adjust for the best color image you can make! Using color image, go to Image/adjustments/black&white, then play with the mixer.

Ah, ok. Already have a "fixed up" color version, will give your suggestion a try tonight and will post the result. Thanks again.

[EOBeav]

It's a great subject and could be used for an outstanding photograph, I think. What about if you got up closer, and shot from down lower for a different perspective? Also, even though it was a gray day, shots like this benefit from having the sun a lot lower in the sky, either in the morning or evening.

[dlambert]

The "cold & grey" really comes through - I think B&W was a good choice for this photo. Probably a bunch of really neat shots possible with this subject. I'd like to see the building less centered one way or another. Maybe even a crop of this shot.

[mikelandl]

Thanks for the comments/suggestions guys. I definitely plan on going back to take some more shots of this building. Followed bruceliv's advice and convert to best possible color version first (at least in my mind) and then convert to b&w, playing around with the sliders a bit. Also did a bit of cropping as per dlambert's suggestion although I struggled a bit on deciding what to crop out. Not sure which one I like better, what do you guys think?

[davidsaffir]

Nice, moody image. Although it is a bit dark, I don't find that to be an issue. Have you considered making a selection around the building, and brightening it up a bit with a curves adjustment layer? Could be interesting!

David

[bruceliv]

Originally Posted by mikelandl

... I struggled a bit on deciding what to crop out. Not sure which one I like better, what do you guys think?

Mike, I took the liberty... Just a quick job, messing up your photo
Isolated the barn, moved trees + sky, Cropped, dodge + burn:



I believe your original composition needs more depth. My suggestion would be to retake more to the right of your original subject. That's why I moved things in order to give you an idea of what I mean