1st Time Posting -- Want advice on BW

[Infinite Monkey]

Hello All,

This is my first time posting an image and seeking help and advice on this forum. I've gleaned a lot just by browsing the site but now I'd like to get some help with my own shots. I've dabbled in film photography on and off for years but just recently got into digital shooting. Picked up a used camera and downloaded Aperture from the Mac Store and now I'm trying to learn digital photography and post processing sort of in tandem which can be a bit overwhelming. Given all that, I'd like to post a few BW images over the next few days and I'd like to get some feedback on both the shots and the conversions. I've only used some of the conversion tools within Aperture but I'm open to other suggestions from people here.

This first image is a lighthouse. I've taken lots of shots of it over time but this is the first time I've worked with it in BW. Is there anything I could have done to avoid the loss of light or the greater shadow towards the top of the tower? What else might I have done to improve the image, either in the camera or during post?

Thanks in advance for any time and thought you give this.

[Infinite Monkey]

Sorry, I forgot to post Exif about the shot.


Camera Nikon D80
Lens 18-135mm
Exposure 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture f/4.5
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 320
Exposure Bias 0 EV

[Tito87]

Welcome to DPS. When I first saw your picture, I was going to suggest to give it more exposure, but then, I saw the bottom part. If you do that, the bottom will be overexposed. You can try two different exposures and then blend them in PP; or you can dodge the top of the house to make it lighter. Just my inexperienced opinion; take it with a grain of salt. Nice shot,btw.

[Infinite Monkey]

Thanks, Tito87. I'm not really sure how I would go about doing as you suggest with two different exposures. The post processing that I do so far is pretty much limited to global adjustments. Are you suggesting combining two different versions of the same image?

[Tito87]

Originally Posted by Infinite Monkey

Thanks, Tito87. I'm not really sure how I would go about doing as you suggest with two different exposures. The post processing that I do so far is pretty much limited to global adjustments. Are you suggesting combining two different versions of the same image?

Yes. In one you expose for the shadows, and in the other one you expose for the highlights. Then, you blend those exposures in Photoshop. If you don't want to do that, you could dodge the top of the house. You could also try the Highlights/Shadows slider,and see what happens. Another option would be to wait for someone more experienced in Photoshop to pick up the thread and listen to his or her advice. I'm new to the world of digital editing, so you should take what I'm suggesting with a grain of salt.

[EOBeav]

For your first time, you did some things right. Specifically:

• When shooting in the day, it helps to convert to b/w
• You darkened your sky. I do mine a little darker, but that's a personal decision
• Compositionally, you filled the frame well. Anything that was cut out doesn't look like it needed to be there anyway

Also, I might boost the contrast just a bit more, but overall, I do like this. It does seem a little noisy, and I think you could have lowered your ISO and still hand held this (I'm assuming you weren't on a tripod).

Oh, and I'll differ on the opinion of using different exposures of this image. I think with a little tweaking you can pull it off with just one.

[Infinite Monkey]

A lower ISO makes sense, particularly as it was shot at 1/1000 so I could still hand hold. You're right, no tripod on this one. Will that help with the noise? I was surprised to see it.

I'll try a minor boost in contrast and see what happens from there. Thanks EOBeav.

[EOBeav]

Originally Posted by Infinite Monkey

A lower ISO makes sense, particularly as it was shot at 1/1000 so I could still hand hold. You're right, no tripod on this one. Will that help with the noise? I was surprised to see it.

Generally speaking, you want to shoot at the lowest ISO you can get away with. If it's a stationary subject like this, and if you have your tripod, you can shoot at ISO 100 with just about any shutter speed. Noise will rear it's ugly head when you darken blue skies like this. For some reason, the blue channel seems to show a lot of it. A lower ISO will help with that, but you still may need to undertake some guerrilla noise reduction maneuvers at times.

[Infinite Monkey]

Originally Posted by EOBeav

A lower ISO will help with that, but you still may need to undertake some guerrilla noise reduction maneuvers at times.

I guess I never would have thought of 320 as being a high ISO. I didn't expect noise to become an issue at ISO lower than 800 so I was surprised to see it here. So how would I go about undertaking "some guerrilla noise reduction"? You've certainly piqued my curiosity.

[EOBeav]

Originally Posted by Infinite Monkey

So how would I go about undertaking "some guerrilla noise reduction"?

There are a lot of noise reduction techniques out there. Some work better than others on some images, while others work better on other images. I like how Lightroom handles noise reduction, but then I lose some detail. I assume you have some noise reduction methods in Aperture. Don't be afraid to google it; you should be able to find a lot of info on the web. Just keep in mind that it's not perfect, and only use as much as is legally permitted in your community.