Sweaty but now fabulous?

[sheila3]

I took this shot spontaneously of my daughter. I have seen photos of people leaned up against a wall and wanted to try it. So we practiced while she was all sweaty, in her soccer shirt, chocolate from some snack all over her mouth. Anyways I cropped and removed chocolate and tried to tone down sweat and converted it to B&W (cuz though I love my yellow walls not always pretty in pictures ). Have seen lots of critiques on B & W's being too gray. So inquiring as to how I did with this. Also is all of the PP noticeable? And overall what do you think of composition? Thanx for any and all advice!
Sheila



Canon Rebel EOS XS
Manual mode
ISO 400
1/160
f/5.6
55 mm
flash fired

[acripps]

I like the composition and the b&w, I don't think it looks too grey but this is from a beginner, maybe someone more advanced would see it differently. You did a good job photoshoping out the chocolate and sweat, there's just a little shine under her eyes but I didn't notice it until after reading your comments. Shes such a cut girl, I like the way you captured her eyes, it's the first place I look.

[sheila3]

Originally Posted by acripps

I like the composition and the b&w, I don't think it looks too grey but this is from a beginner, maybe someone more advanced would see it differently. You did a good job photoshoping out the chocolate and sweat, there's just a little shine under her eyes but I didn't notice it until after reading your comments. Shes such a cut girl, I like the way you captured her eyes, it's the first place I look.

Thanx acripps. I appreciate the feedback. I too am a beginner. So much to learn!

[kristenh]

i like this one, sheila! i have heard (read) people say that you should have real blacks and real whites in b and ws, but i don't really get why maybe a more experienced person will chime in.

[RLucas]

Because you can't have a black and white without true blacks and true whites. Anything else is grayscale.
I like this photo quite a lot, but it is not b/w. It has enough white, but almost no black.
How did you do the conversion?

[courtney23cy]

Well, your daughter is beautiful. I really like how her hair looks in black and white, all the different shades look really cool. I'm a beginner too so I don't know what to look for in a BW other than the overall feel of the image being appealing to me. Good to know that absolute black and white are both needed for it to be a BW, I didn't know that.

[sheila3]

Originally Posted by kristenh

i like this one, sheila! i have heard (read) people say that you should have real blacks and real whites in b and ws, but i don't really get why maybe a more experienced person will chime in.

Thanx Kristen! I'm glad you like it. I strive to to be able to take those shots that don't require much touch up but I also enjoy taking so so pictures and turning them into something nice with photoshop. Thanx for looking!

[sheila3]

Originally Posted by RLucas

Because you can't have a black and white without true blacks and true whites. Anything else is grayscale.
I like this photo quite a lot, but it is not b/w. It has enough white, but almost no black.
How did you do the conversion?

Well I'm a bit embarrased to say Luke. I actually was just playing around. Don't know photoshop that well yet. I had seen that someone had used the "gradient" section so I checked it out. Saw the black and white square and clicked. Then I went to layers and played with them until I thought it looked good. Perhaps there is a better way? I have the book "photoshop for dummies" that I am slowly but surely reading. Thanx for the compliment. I'm glad you like it.

[sheila3]

Originally Posted by courtney23cy

Well, your daughter is beautiful. I really like how her hair looks in black and white, all the different shades look really cool. I'm a beginner too so I don't know what to look for in a BW other than the overall feel of the image being appealing to me. Good to know that absolute black and white are both needed for it to be a BW, I didn't know that.

Thanx Courtney! Appreciate the nice words. Yes she has good hair. Lots of nice hightlights and lowlights. A friend of mine always jokes that she is going to bring her to the salon so she can get hers that way. Anyways thanx for looking!

[RLucas]

Originally Posted by sheila3

Well I'm a bit embarrased to say Luke. I actually was just playing around. Don't know photoshop that well yet. I had seen that someone had used the "gradient" section so I checked it out. Saw the black and white square and clicked. Then I went to layers and played with them until I thought it looked good. Perhaps there is a better way? I have the book "photoshop for dummies" that I am slowly but surely reading. Thanx for the compliment. I'm glad you like it.

The gradient method works very well for me. It is about the only one I really like at the moment. If I can make a suggestion; after you do the gradient map, go in to levels or curves, and try to get the histogram as close to the left, and as close to the right as possible. For me, what has worked best is to get the blacks to just start clipping, and the whites to just clip, and back off a little. Then adjust the middle slider up or down to get the mid tones where you want them. For me, I like really punchy b/w so I like to clip the blacks a little more. I don't mind losing a little shadow detail for more contrast. It's totally a taste thing though.