Getting Better B&W

[Warren]

I am working on attempting to make my black and white images better, in subject, composition and tonality. Here is a recent shot......

C&C

[Warren]

Another shot, this one processed a bit more, perhaps too much, but I was going for the sepia look.

C&C

[Dave Humphries]

I am working on attempting to make my black and white images better, in subject, composition and tonality. Here is a recent shot......

C&C

Hi Warren,

To me, this first one is a bit too "quartered"; the horizon water is almost exactly half way up and the island on left comes half way across.

I'd crop differently, from what I see here, I would lose 10% off the bottom edge and take out the two pairs of trees on left (i.e. about 13% of width.

It is a nice scene, my favourite of these two.

HTH,

[Dave Humphries]

Another shot, this one processed a bit more, perhaps too much, but I was going for the sepia look.

C&C

Hi again Warren,

I don't like the dark edges inside the frame.

However, what really screams at me is the barrel distortion on the bridge deck, it needs correcting.

If you're using CS5, have you found the profile driven lens corrections in ACR yet?
They are brilliant at solving this kind of problem when shooting at 18mm (wide angle).

I like the composition and sky in this though.

HTH2,

[Donald]

Warren

I go with Dave's comments on the first one. That bit of headland so near the center of the image sort of splits it up into bits.

On the second one, I'd raise a more debatable point (i.e. some will agree with me, some won't). And that's about the vignette/burnt edges.

A number of people I've read suggest (and I am persuaded by the argument) that a good and effective vignette should not be obvious. We should be aware of the quality of the image to which a vignette has contributed, but not immediately be aware that there is a vignette in place. And that requires quite a subtle use of the tool.

Now, as I say, there will be many who will not agree with this view. But as people who use vignettes from time-to-time, we should at least be aware of the debate and consider what our own views are about it.