tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324667356995067944.post6909424127023585848..comments2023-05-19T02:36:34.087-07:00Comments on glen goffin photography: 82 Black and White Photographs - Not as Easy as it LooksGlen Goffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04092214568209270121noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324667356995067944.post-46126369120948581992010-01-26T07:07:27.110-08:002010-01-26T07:07:27.110-08:00oh ... pps ... sorry, Kathleen, I never answered y...oh ... pps ... sorry, Kathleen, I never answered your question. I used to shoot RAW but then I got the 5DMKII (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE!) and the image sizes were >50 MB. Ouch. I just went back to JPEG though, for professional work, I would likely shoot RAW. What is your feeling about that?Glen Goffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04092214568209270121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324667356995067944.post-78102450148933118312010-01-25T13:08:31.550-08:002010-01-25T13:08:31.550-08:00PS - another thing I'm going to try is mapping...PS - another thing I'm going to try is mapping skin tone to a very specific range of gray values and work to ensure that there is nice smooth gradients of tones through the face which may mean keeping the local contrast down in that area (except the eyes which I will probably pump up the volume).Glen Goffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04092214568209270121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324667356995067944.post-21209654145976430842010-01-25T12:50:48.451-08:002010-01-25T12:50:48.451-08:00Kathleen - woohoo ... I'll give that technique...Kathleen - woohoo ... I'll give that technique a go tonight and let you know how it works out. Thanks for the tips. <br /><br />Scott - So if I follow you correctly, basically balance out the histogram first to get a good distribution of tones in the image. Then pick a good mapping profile from colors to gray-scale. I sort-of did that with this images in that I used Lightroom to first correct the WB, then "spread" the dynamic range of the image from top to bottom adding detail in shadows and highlights as much as reasonable. Then I went through a bunch of preset profiles till I found one that seemed to map to a good "density" for lack of a better term. Then I tweaked the color to gray mapping. The harder part is settling on good overall contrast and local contrast choices. I probably just need a lot more practice.Glen Goffinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04092214568209270121noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324667356995067944.post-84255190303502247502010-01-25T10:01:31.218-08:002010-01-25T10:01:31.218-08:00Hey Glen! Wondering if you shoot in RAW or JPEG o...Hey Glen! Wondering if you shoot in RAW or JPEG or both? Just curious. After some anguish a few years ago I narrowed down my B&W technique to one simple thing in PS: <br />Image -->Adjustments-->Gradient Map. Select the B&W gradient. Done! You can add tone (and I would argue for very, very little) in the Color Balance tool - just make sure the "Preserve Luminosity" box is UNchecked. Let me know if you have quetions! :)Kathleenhttp://www.durhamtownship.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324667356995067944.post-33880758421618870752010-01-25T09:57:23.013-08:002010-01-25T09:57:23.013-08:00I did the same - I looked all over the place. I fi...I did the same - I looked all over the place. I finally bought a book that helped. I can't remember the name right now - but honestly, he could have given the same information in about 1/3 of the number of pages.<br />I found the best help in a Kelby on-line class by Katrin Eismann. But that requires a subscription, but if you're serious its a great resource.<br /><br />In short, the key lessons/techniques:<br />- Set your White/Black balance to distribute the tones<br />- Don't just de-saturation. Use the PS Black and White adjustment tool (CS3) or the Lightroom Develop Module - Grayscale adjustment and adjust the different color values to get the tones that work for the image. If you shot B&W with filters in the past it works the same way as different color filters on B&W. <br /><br />Those two things are a huge start. A little more complicated is using image channels to bring out the details/tones you need.<br /><br />Hope this helps.Scott McQhttp://exquistelines.comnoreply@blogger.com