Another penny drops duh....

simon ess

simon ess

Just call me Roxanne.
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Would appreciate views on this.

I've recently read quite a lot, and had some advice, about processing b+w photos and realised I could be doing a lot more to bring out the best in them.

I haven't been very pleased with the last couple of films. All a bit flat and uninteresting.

So, I've been having a play. Really just the digital equivalent of hours in the darkroom.

I'd like comments about the processing on the following, if you'd be so kind :)

If I'm on the right lines, I shall crack on with others. If I'm not, please point me in the right direction. Cheers :thumbs:

Before:

img039 by simon ess, on Flickr

After:

img039a by simon ess, on Flickr
 
I'll happily remove this critique if it is considered to be unacceptable, but I think part of the problem is that I don't think it's the strongest framed image to have as a base to start with. There's a little too much of the pathway in the bottom 1/3rd of the image, and not enough of the sky - I think a reframed shot, with some selective PP work to the sky, and the enhancements made in the second shot would get you in the right direction :thumbs:
 
No, that's fine, thanks.

I just picked this one at random to have a play with. Are you saying the enhancements in the second one are in the right direction? That's what I'd like to know.

I'll post another pair shortly. Please do critique away :thumbs:
 
Very broadly, although I think that the lightened parts might actually be a tad too bright. But making a dramatic sky would definitely add some character to the image - it's a very messy scene!
 
I think it's very difficult to be creative and inspired with something that is mostly a technical exercise. Your 'after' shot is an improvement but as FC2 said I think you may have gone too far and for me it doesn't really matter what you were to do with it, the image itself does not grab my attention, sorry I can't be more positive. Why not pick one of your favourite shots and make that as good as you can make it.
 
So, on the right lines but gone too far on this one.

Excellent! Thanks for the feedback. :thumbs:
 
I think starting with a better picture and then doing similar processing but a bit less lightening, as others have said.
 
I find that learning PP is much easier when you are working with an image that you have a good idea of what you want as a final image in your head...
 
Surely as far as "what you want" in a final image, is largely dictated by what's in front of the camera and not what you'd actually like there to be.
I mean, if we set aside the artistic merit of the scene its self, I'm kinda thinking the processing ought to be faithful to the scene, I don't mean a documented copy we all see things differently so who's to say what is exactly faithful and what isn't, but the difference between just the fence tones in those two pics is enormous.
So I'm gonna go with, whichever those two pics is closest to the original scene, the other one went too far.

Having said that, this is black & white so nobody is gonna complain too much about the application of a little artistic license.
Personally, if you where to say...darken the sky with a red filter at point of capture, I find that infinitely more impressive than anything you could do digitally...:)
 
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