Monochromatic Beauty(?) Purple flower

[JBW]

I shot in B&W, tried to process the shot in colour. Failed miserably. But it seems to work as a monochromatic shot?

[billtils]

I shot in B&W, tried to process the shot in colour. Failed miserably. But it seems to work as a monochromatic shot?

Now I'm truly puzzled. Why on earth would you shoot in B&W (i.e. tell the camera to ignore that fact that the sensor has created a colour file and it should pretend it is mono) then edit to restore the colour?

[Manfred M]

Now I'm truly puzzled. Why on earth would you shoot in B&W (i.e. tell the camera to ignore that fact that the sensor has created a colour file and it should pretend it is mono) then edit to restore the colour?

One of my college photography instructors suggested a similar approach for people who wanted to learn B&W photography; set the camera to shoot B&W JPEGs and shoot JPEG + raw. That way one can learn to visualize what a scene would look like in B&W and could still go the colour route if the B&W is not working.

[Manfred M]

I shot in B&W, tried to process the shot in colour. Failed miserably. But it seems to work as a monochromatic shot?

One would have to see the colour version to compare.

I personally find that certain subjects, like flowers, usually work better in colour. But that is just my opinion and would love to be proven wrong.

Removing the colour component in an image increases the level of abstraction and simplifies the image, but in the case of flowers it also removes one of the key defining things about them; the beautiful colours.

[JBW]

Now I'm truly puzzled. Why on earth would you shoot in B&W (i.e. tell the camera to ignore that fact that the sensor has created a colour file and it should pretend it is mono) then edit to restore the colour?

I have that effect on many people.

I usually shoot in mono because it helps me (I make no claims for other people) to see and frame my shot.

Capture One takes my monochromatic Raw file and shows it to me in colour.

This allows me to compose with less distraction and edit in colour. Or to convert back to monochrome.

For me, the best of all worlds.

[DanK]

Capture One takes my monochromatic Raw file and shows it to me in colour.

Are you sure? With the exception of one Leica, none of the cameras I know of (not a huge number) shoot monochrome raw files. All of them capture a regular raw file but then create a monochrome JPEG. But maybe Sonys are like that one Leica in this respect.

[JBW]

Are you sure? With the exception of one Leica, none of the cameras I know of (not a huge number) shoot monochrome raw files. All of them capture a regular raw file but then create a monochrome JPEG. But maybe Sonys are like that one Leica in this respect.

I am sure that I love my wife, that I'm getting older, fatter and balder. The rest is all mayby's'. However I do know that when I shoot in Raw monochrome and dl to my hd they come up in black and white.

[purplehaze]

I am sure that I love my wife

With that one line, you relieved all the toxicity of my work day. Thank you, Brian! For me, b&w can work very well with flowers where there is an emphasis on shape, pattern or texture, but I don’t find that this particular image meets that standard. I quite understand why you would want to rid yourself of the colour distraction when composing, though. I think I might try that!

[JBW]

With that one line, you relieved all the toxicity of my work day. Thank you, Brian! For me, b&w can work very well with flowers where there is an emphasis on shape, pattern or texture, but I don’t find that this particular image meets that standard. I quite understand why you would want to rid yourself of the colour distraction when composing, though. I think I might try that!

my pleasure and I shall

[billtils]

I am sure that I love my wife, that I'm getting older, fatter and balder. The rest is all mayby's'. However I do know that when I shoot in Raw monochrome and dl to my hd they come up in black and white.

Brian

The answer is probably here:

"It’s important to understand that, unlike with film, switching the camera to monochrome is purely a processing setting. The sensor is still recording images with full colour information, and if you record raw files alongside your JPEGs, they’ll still include all of it. It’s just the JPEG output that’s monochrome.
Read more at http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/technique/camera_skills/shoot-black-white-photos-in-camera-42782#6osgfu4XlyywrAYm.99"

[JBW]

Brian

The answer is probably here:

"It’s important to understand that, unlike with film, switching the camera to monochrome is purely a processing setting. The sensor is still recording images with full colour information, and if you record raw files alongside your JPEGs, they’ll still include all of it. It’s just the JPEG output that’s monochrome.
Read more at http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/technique/camera_skills/shoot-black-white-photos-in-camera-42782#6osgfu4XlyywrAYm.99"

Except that I only shoot in Raw and there are no Jpegs on my card that I'm aware of.

[billtils]

Except that I only shoot in Raw and there are no Jpegs on my card that I'm aware of.

Exactly! You are shooting raw which is what C1 downloads and why it is in colour. Setting the camera to "Mono" will only affect jpegs not the raw, and since you don't shoot in raw+jpeg there is no mono file on your card to download. If you are going by what you see on the camera back LCD, this is a jpeg. What you are doing is a technique used by some avid mono shooters since the LCD will give you a preview of what you are going to get when you convert the raw. As far as I know only Leica and PhaseOne make dedicated digital mono cameras.

[george013]

I have that effect on many people.

I usually shoot in mono because it helps me (I make no claims for other people) to see and frame my shot.

Capture One takes my monochromatic Raw file and shows it to me in colour.

This allows me to compose with less distraction and edit in colour. Or to convert back to monochrome.

For me, the best of all worlds.

The RAW file is containing the sensor info, the bayern array with colors. When converted to a RGB raster image the converter can take in account the camera settings, in your case monochrome. But the RAW file is still holding the primary colors from the sensor.
So what Capture One is doing is forgetting that camera setting. In a converter you can switch that on and of.
Different will be when you use the embedded jpg. That's the result of the in-camera conversion so with the camera settings.

I do understand your intention.

George

[JBW]

Exactly! You are shooting raw which is what C1 downloads and why it is in colour. Setting the camera to "Mono" will only affect jpegs not the raw, and since you don't shoot in raw+jpeg there is no mono file on your card to download. If you are going by what you see on the camera back LCD, this is a jpeg. What you are doing is a technique used by some avid mono shooters since the LCD will give you a preview of what you are going to get when you convert the raw. As far as I know only Leica and PhaseOne make dedicated digital mono cameras.

Let me explain one more time. If I shoot in Raw mono, come into our house, take the card out, dl to my hard drive and look at the shots SOOC they are mono.

If i take the same shots and dl directly to Capture 1 they are colour.

I can choose to shoot in Raw + JPEG but I only shoot in Raw.

[JBW]

The RAW file is containing the sensor info, the bayern array with colors. When converted to a RGB raster image the converter can take in account the camera settings, in your case monochrome. But the RAW file is still holding the primary colors from the sensor.
So what Capture One is doing is forgetting that camera setting. In a converter you can switch that on and of.
Different will be when you use the embedded jpg. That's the result of the in-camera conversion so with the camera settings.

I do understand your intention.

George

excellent.