Blansky
1273
I think your technique is fine and as you say there are a lot of ways of doing the conversion bit I would respectfully add...
that since the original image is slightly problematic in that the sky in the top middle is flared and blown out, that it creates more work due to the fact that your eye is drawn upwards, and out of the picture.
I did A LOT of burning and dodging in the darkroom through the years and when I switched to digital I continued that process as well on almost any print. Using various levels and vignette tools is all ok but I think we still need to fine tune the burning in this case to stop the eye from escaping out the top of the pictures and instead down the road and through the tunnel to make this a far superior print.
Also dead center in the middle of the print is rather blown out as well and need to be toned down because your eye is led there and stopped, and then can be led out the top, which I'm sure is not where you want your eye to go.
In my opinion what could make this print a very nice print is a nice clean line drawing the viewer down the road and out through the tunnel, and visually the only way to do this is a nice progressive tone leading you there. And subtle burning and dodging can achieve that.
As you know, making great photography is taking what is already there and making it into your vision of what was there. The initial subject matter brings the viewer to the picture and then with composition and playing with color (if applicable) or highlight and shadow we can to lead the eye around the picture. And that visual experience is what usually determines whether a picture succeeds or not.
My technique for digital color to b&w conversion YMMV...
As with all post processing the results are individual interpretations, there is no "correct rendering" for b&w conversions... In the below example I am using Silkypix, and while the application details / tools will be different, most post processing appl...
Interesting read
May I reciprocate by sharing what the impact is on me as the average viewer of the conversion result? The original photo gives me the impression of an autumn afternoon with the bleak sunlight as it can be right after small rainstorm. I can see a young fam...
Absolutely...
subject matter aside, different versions are subject to different interpretations... and just for fun a saturated, contrast-ie, color variation ; ) ...
Thanks John...
even more is possible after the b&w conversion... see Blansky's comments below ; ) Casey
I think your technique is fine and as you say there are a lot of ways of doing the conversion bit I would respectfully add...
that since the original image is slightly problematic in that the sky in the top middle is flared and blown out, that it creates more work due to the fact that your eye is drawn upwards, and out of the picture. I did A LOT of burning and dodging in the da...
Correct...
and excellent points... in the original I should have waited until the train passed and avoided that reflection off the first carriage. Casey
