Shot in black and white - no conversion. I've been very disappointed in my b&w shots of late. I need to do something different. Any suggestions would be welcome.
I have a few new followers unaware of why I post a day early, so I'll explain. My mother has dementia and is in a memory care unit that provides care for her basic needs. They often call me, sometimes in the middle of the night, and I sometimes have to drop everything and drive a distance to get to her and take care of her special needs. Rather than get behind, I try to stay a day ahead, if I can.
Didn't know that, Mags. That's a rough road to be on. Have a good neighbor (our birthdays are a day apart) who is living the same way, but with her husband. Fortunately, it's only a 10 minute drive for her. I certainly haven't been disappointed in your b&w's - and therefore, no suggestions to help you out. You've encouraged me!
I love your b&w's. Keep them coming. I struggle with b&w also. First, I always shoot in color and then convert it to b&w in lightroom. I try to keep the ISO low to get more dynamic range. Some work well in b&w and some don't work at all. It mostly depends on the tonal range, but I keep trying.
@dkellogg Thank you for the kind words, David. Can you use b&w mode to see what you're shooting in b&w? It really helps to see in b&w what you want to shoot. I think it's a whole different thing, but that's just me. Sometimes, I tweak the midtones in Photoshop and sometimes I push in more white or black if I think it needs it, but if it's just a bad image... LOL! There's not a whole lot I can do with it. It's sort of the same thing you would do with the enlarger in the dark room under or overexposing the paper for more tonal range. Does that make sense?
@dkellogg LOL! That's okay. The negative goes into a sleeve in the upper part of the enlarger. Then the paper goes on the table under it and the photographic paper is exposed to the light through the negative to create the image, before it went into the chemicals to develop it. Sometimes, you could expose it for a longer period of time (usually seconds) to darken the image and you could even cover part of the image that you didn't want exposed too long. Follow?
@corinnec You are just so sweet. Thank you, Corinne.
My 1ยข: try to simplify. I think forests make your images too "crowdy". Try some close-up of flowers e.g. roses, or even some household tools. I have some B&W in my album. Although not shot in B&W, but intended to be B&W.
@talmon LOL! Closeups are all I used to shoot and the suggestions were that I move back for the bigger pictures. So I've rotated between closeup and farther back since then. Although no one seems to notice that unless you look at the calendar view. I'm not trying to please everyone because that's impossible. So, I don't know what the answer is for me not to be disappointed in my shots. But, I appreciate the suggestion, Jan.
So sad to hear about your mum - and you are amazing to keep up the way you do - I like your b&w shots - this one has a little less light and contrast than others?
@rensala It's okay, Renee and thank you. You are right. This is later in the afternoon when the sun is hitting the left side of the trees. A little softer time of day.
Problems with my mother taught me humility and joy of life. But many days are very stressful. I still have some catching up to do, but I try not to worry about it. Keep smiling be happy!
@marlboromaam When you want to go to the bigger picture, landscapes can be an option. A single tree in an open landscape can give an interesting picture (see https://365project.org/talmon/365/2022-02-22) When you live in a hilly landscape the different layers of hills may give a nice abstract result (depending largely how those hills are being used by farmers or the differences in vegetation.
@talmon I live in the sticks, Jan. Trees all around me. I have to get in the car and burn up gas to get to any kind of clear hilly landscape. I have a few of those in my albums though. Whenever I have the opportunity and time, I shoot those. Thanks for the suggestions.
December 5th, 2022
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@dkellogg LOL! That's okay. The negative goes into a sleeve in the upper part of the enlarger. Then the paper goes on the table under it and the photographic paper is exposed to the light through the negative to create the image, before it went into the chemicals to develop it. Sometimes, you could expose it for a longer period of time (usually seconds) to darken the image and you could even cover part of the image that you didn't want exposed too long. Follow?
@corinnec You are just so sweet. Thank you, Corinne.
@kipper1951 Thank you, Chris.
@pamalama Thank you, Pam.
@ososki Thanks for the suggestion, Bill. According to some folks, it's an intimate-landscape though there's very little ground in it. =)