How to make a good black and white...

[jax314]

I converted this to black and white because I shot with the wrong white balance setting...I like how it turned out. HOWEVER, I don't really know how to make a good black and white...in other words, I don't know what a good black and white consists of...deep blacks? contrast?

If you would, please let me know if the black and white conversion works and/or what I could have done to make it better. I know the ISO is too high for outdoors, which was another reason to go black and white...I kind of like the grain with it...

I've learned a lot here and really appreciate the feedback...



Nikon D3000
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1600)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 135 mm
ISO Speed: 800

[private]

for the future - if you shoot in RAW, you can correct the WB in your photo. She is such a cute kid, its hard to see past that, but watch for shadows when taking photos. To help fill in the shadows you can use fill flash or have a reflector with you.

[jax314]

Too much shadow on right side??

[lputman]

A crop would do good on this photo, with all the light on photo left and all the shadow photo right, it's basically being split. You can play in post processing to adjust white balance if you want to.

There are so many variations of b&w that I think the main thing is that there is good contrast and not just a blah grey photo.

Because of her position, she is half lit and if you were able to be a step to your left and her facing you at that point and snapped, there would have been a little more light on the left side of her face. You can lighten up some of the shadow on that side in post also.

She's a cutie!

[jax314]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I had forgotten to change my ISO from indoors...and this was early on before I started using Auto ISO....800 is way to high for outside, I agree.

Thanks again...I'll keep working at it.

[LeeR]

I think anyone serious about photography should spend a bit of time learning about the Zone System. It was invented by Ansel Adams and some of his peers, and can get very technical, but it will help you understand photography, and b&w photography in particular, in a whole new way.

[Surprised]

I like this picture a lot and agree the subject is cute! The one thing that I'm not so sure about, though, is the fact that the slide goes through her head: I find this a bit distracting. Nobody else has mentioned this though so perhaps it's just me! Thanks for the picture though -- it brought a smile to me face.

[Benji]

Originally Posted by jax314

Thanks for the feedback guys. I had forgotten to change my ISO from indoors...and this was early on before I started using Auto ISO....800 is way to high for outside, I agree.

Thanks again...I'll keep working at it.

A valuable lesson learned (hopefully.) The absolute FIRST thing you need to do after ANY shoot in which you changed the ISO from what you normally have it set at is to change it back to your normal ISO. Also be sure and change your hand held meter. THEN immediately after the very first exposure of the next shoot you should look at the LCD screen to double check whether the ISO was forgotten. This is usually a gray card image in my case as I shoot RAW exclusively, and I shoot at ISO 100 about 95% of the time.

Benji

[Ania Photo]

Everyone has their opinion about how to create a black and white photo, there is so much to it at times it can be intimidating to someone starting out. A good black and white photo has an equal balance between light and dark (contrast) with grays at a minimum.

This photo is not bad at all. The only trouble I see is that the white is to bright. When that happens that is the only thing the eye will focus on, taking the focus away from the little girl. Always be aware of where the light is coming from and how bright it is. Moving her away from the direct light might have helped, but with children you can't always control that.

You can fix the brightness in post (Photoshop). If you need help doing this please let me know and I would be happy to walk you through it.

Strive to take a good photograph first, with good exposure and your trouble with a black and white photo will be at a minimum.

[kiwitayro]

I'm a total novice/non-professional, but I love to shoot in B/W, and a lot of people say they like my photos... these are my only credentials. That being said, here's a suggested edit. Let me know if you want me to remove it.



I brought the contrast & brightness down just a little bit in the Gimp (maybe 5 or 6) after cropping it.

I really like the image on her face & her body language that you captured! Way to catch the adorableness! And I don't mind the graininess at all - it doesn't make the image look blurry like there's camera shake or too long of a shutter speed or anything like that, which I do find distracting. The grain makes it look timeless & classic.

-Kelly