First attempt at B&W processing

[andy_mcadam]

First attempts at black and white processing. All comments appreciated. Comments regarding composition, subject, exposure etc also welcomed.

Thanks,
Andy



Camera Canon EOS 1000D
Exposure 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture f/9.0
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 100

[Tito87]

I think you have a good shot here; however, I think it's a little too dark for my taste. The sky is well exposed, but I would like to see a little more detail in the shadows. If that's what you were going for, never mind.

[andy_mcadam]

Think you were right Tito. Partly due to my laptop screen being too bright I think.

[Krusty79]

I think the 2nd version is much better. However, it is a busy image and I'm not sure what your subject is. My eyes do eventually end up at those buildings on top of the hill, was that what you intended?

[Tito87]

Originally Posted by Krusty79

My eyes do eventually end up at those buildings on top of the hill, was that what you intended?

I assumed that was the subject. Was I wrong?

[3bayjunkie]

i like the second one better. its a bit busy though.

[arlon]

I'm not a big B&W fan but every once and awhile something comes along that screams to be portrayed in BW. It's usually something pretty simple and something were color is a distraction. This is an interesting picture but for my taste it seems a little busy or maybe it just needs cropped to a more specific subject. I like to look at the color and B&W side by side and ask myself if the BW brings my attention to the subject better than the color shot does. Sometimes color makes a shot but sometimes it's a distraction.

I'm being critical since it's one of your early efforts. I don't want to pat you on the back and send you off beaming, I want to send you off thinking. (-:}

I like the second one better. I also fought that issue with a very bright contrasty laptop. I think the issue was worse for B&W than for color. I finally found if ran the laptop on battery only it's monitor was a little dimmer and closer to the rest of the world.


I love using PS to do the B&W conversion where you can control the red, blue, green sliders. You can do almost everything Ansel Adams did with lens filters on film with a few simple slides. The differences you can get with control of the color sliders in BW conversion can be pretty amazing. Be sure you at least play in there awhile.

[andy_mcadam]

Thanks for all the comments! I was originally trying to capture the buildings at the top of the picture, which are on Carlton Hill in Edinburgh, with quite a nice cloudy sky but because of the low vantage point I couldn't get a crop I liked so decided to try and show the fairly modern but grotty train station against the very old but grand Scottish executive buildings and Carlon Hill. Guess I didn't quite manage it. Thanks for the tips about when to try B&W, I'll keep them in mind! I'll also try some different crops and try to bring out the main subject with a few tweaks in LR3. Once again, thanks for the comments!

[vainqueur]

Originally Posted by andy_mcadam

Thanks for all the comments! I was originally trying to capture the buildings at the top of the picture, which are on Carlton Hill in Edinburgh, with quite a nice cloudy sky but because of the low vantage point I couldn't get a crop I liked so decided to try and show the fairly modern but grotty train station against the very old but grand Scottish executive buildings and Carlon Hill. Guess I didn't quite manage it. Thanks for the tips about when to try B&W, I'll keep them in mind! I'll also try some different crops and try to bring out the main subject with a few tweaks in LR3. Once again, thanks for the comments!

If the buildings are your main focus, I think the ratio/percentage is definitely not right here because you are having 40% buildings and 60% station, I dare say most people's attention will be on the station (great composition of lines on the train station I must say) instead of the buildings.

It's just my opinion, so, don't flame me or anything. If I am doing this scene, that's what I might try, take color as usual, then go into PS, remove the buildings at the top and crop away the building on the right. Emphasis the photo with the train station and the lines compositions with maybe tune up the vibrancy of the train station by a bit because I assume from the photo, the surrounding other than the train station is green? So, it is not hard to make the viewers' eyes focus on the train station.