Black & White

[Eldar]

d

He he, Edward ... 69 is not THAT old

Early this year I went to Lake Kerkini in northern Greece, where the fantastic dalmatian pelican stays over the winter. This one, looking into the sunset, looks like a bird´s version of Lord Nelson.

beautiful image
I'm in admiration of the tonal ranges in these images. is that down to great processing skill and/or really good exposure? I love b&w but mine always look flat to me even after spending an age on curves and black point adjustments.

I am far away from being an expert on processing, so I have to rely on my ability to expose properly. In post processing of B&W images, I primarily play with contrast, clarity and the black and white sliders. On B&W images, you can go a lot further with those 4 than you can with colour. Occasionally I also adjust the colour sliders, if that is required to separate positive and negative space, or create pop.

Very important though, is to use a good and calibrated monitor. I use an Eizo with built in hardware calibration. What I see on the screen is what comes out on my printer.

 

[zim]

d

He he, Edward ... 69 is not THAT old

Early this year I went to Lake Kerkini in northern Greece, where the fantastic dalmatian pelican stays over the winter. This one, looking into the sunset, looks like a bird´s version of Lord Nelson.

beautiful image
I'm in admiration of the tonal ranges in these images. is that down to great processing skill and/or really good exposure? I love b&w but mine always look flat to me even after spending an age on curves and black point adjustments.

I am far away from being an expert on processing, so I have to rely on my ability to expose properly. In post processing of B&W images, I primarily play with contrast, clarity and the black and white sliders. On B&W images, you can go a lot further with those 4 than you can with colour. Occasionally I also adjust the colour sliders, if that is required to separate positive and negative space, or create pop.

Very important though, is to use a good and calibrated monitor. I use an Eizo with built in hardware calibration. What I see on the screen is what comes out on my printer.

Thanks for the tips Elder, much appreciated, I think your underestimating your processing skills a little though!
Having an eye for what makes a good b&w subject helps a tonne too, my wish to create a b&w I'm really happy with has been rekindled gonna dig through my stuff

cheers

 

[eml58]

a couple of lovely images Eldar, looks like the 1Dx and the H6D are getting plenty of use.

 

[Click]

Lovely shot, Eldar.

 

[eml58]

Balinese Dancer

H6D & HC 300 1/400th @ f/4.5

 

[Click]

Great shot, Edward. I really like this picture. Beautiful B&W.

 

[dpc]

Balinese Dancer

H6D & HC 300 1/400th @ f/4.5

Very nice, indeed!

 

[dpc]

Pilot boat rounding the breakwater at Ogden Point, Victoria, British Columbia, this past February...

 

[Pookie]

He he, Edward ... 69 is not THAT old

Early this year I went to Lake Kerkini in northern Greece, where the fantastic dalmatian pelican stays over the winter. This one, looking into the sunset, looks like a bird´s version of Lord Nelson.

I like this chicken Eldar

I know in the day of the digital no one might ever consider reading Ansel series, especially The Negative. The zone system was primarily meant to give "perfect" negative for printing but can easily be applied to the composition of all BW images. It gives you a great understanding of tonal ranges and placing your scene exposure correctly. Once you understand the basics you see the beauty of it. Here on this forum everyone is so concerned with seeing detail in the shadows that they often forget the necessity of a tonal range. Without contrast from high to low your image will look flat. Don't fear black shadows or great highlights, don't "slide" them into mush... embrace them. I think it's what gives Eldar's image of that Pelican such a beauty.

Early morning breakfast...
Rolleiflex 2.8f
Kodak TMY-2
Rodinal(1+25) 6:00 minutes at 20c

 

[eml58]

Appreciate the comments gentlemen Thank You

Slightly different take on my favourite predator

 

[Click]

Cool picture. I really like the visual effect.

Well done, Edward.

 

[dpc]

Hay bales in field...

 

[dpc]

Mountainside... (Fujifilm X-T10 + 55-200mm lens)

 

[Click]

Very nice pictures, dpc.

 

[dpc]

Very nice pictures, dpc.

Thanks, Click!

 

[eml58]

Hay bales in field...

Love it, excellent all round, well crafted dpc

 

[dpc]

Hay bales in field...

Love it, excellent all round, well crafted dpc

Thanks! I appreciate it.

 

[dpc]

School bus park...

 

[Eldar]

Glad to see this thread is alive and kicking, with some excellent posts.

This is a Swedish grey wolf, looking at me with curiosity. It soon took off to the left and disappeared.

 

[dpc]

Glad to see this thread is alive and kicking, with some excellent posts.

This is a Swedish grey wolf, looking at me with curiosity. It soon took off to the left and disappeared.

A very nice capture!