Streptocarpella and questions about processing

[Marie Hass]

Please, Willie, Donald and others who work in black and white conversions -

I have been working with black and white conversions and trying different techniques. I read in another thread ( and I forget who to give credit to), that b&w should consist of absolute blacks and absolute whites. To try this out, I created seperate b&w layers for each, and created a brightness/contrast layer to help adjust contrast.

Does this work, or is there a standard formula to apply for conversions?

I shot this in manual, 1/200, F6.3, ISO 400, no flash.

I tried a tighter crop, but I thought it just began to look busy.



Thank you for looking, and taking the time to comment/critique.

Marie

[jiro]

Any chance that we could see and work on the colored image, Marie?

[Marie Hass]

Here you go, Willie.

This is the original, no PP or sharpening.



Thank you for your help and interest.

Marie

[jiro]

I think you did a good job on the b&w conversion, Marie. My edit is very near to what you had done. I think the issue is not the conversion but the image itself. There is not much separation on the main subject against the competing elements inside the frame. If the main subject is the lone violet flower it would be weak. For one thing, it is not sharper than the rest. Also, it was backlit to the point that the leaves in front are more in focus and brighter than the flower. There was also no geometric patterns or leading lines to support the main subject that would help the shot lead the viewer to it. If your scene is too busy the practical approach then is to shoot closer. As I have said, you have done a good job on the conversion. Unfortunately, it's the whole image that is not giving you the satisfaction on what you want to achieve. I hope I am not too harsh on you.

This is how far I can push the colored image on a b&w conversion. As you can see, the only difference between this one and your work is the higher contrast.

[Marie Hass]

Thank you, Willie

Unfortunately, it's the whole image that is not giving you the satisfaction on what you want to achieve. I hope I am not too harsh on you.

Not too harsh at all. In fact, I think you provided me with an "ah-ha" moment. You helped to pinpoint exactly, why I was not satisfied. I love backlit images. Maybe another subject would be a better choice.

Marie