The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
So an overnight trip to Salt Point, 2 hours drive north of SF. Lots of great vistas, but I find it hard to select a composition of costal shots. Kept in mind Paul Kenny’s video and so when I was this was reminded of his work.
Specific Feedback
Do you like the B &W or color. I haven’t processed the color, only the black and white. I dodged and burnt and also added a little contrast. Any processing or other advice would be welcomed
I think this is a perfect subject for B&W. Your processing really enhanced the texture and tonal range. I’m sure you could improve the color image with further processing, but I doubt it would have the same impact as the B&W.
Well seen, Loretta. I enjoy BW generally, and enjoy this in particular. For me, the image is all about shapes, forms and textures, so monochrome is useful approach. In BW, the center of the interior rock almost seems to present a third rock. The arrangement of the lines and shapes in the frame works nicely for me. You might consider burning highlights in the lighter areas away from the center, as they tend to draw my eye there. If the lip of the rock surrounding the interior rock’s 4 o’clock area were darkened, it might increase the feeling of separation, as in most of the other surrounding areas.
Hello Loretta - the BW is definitely stronger in my opinion. I vignette to burn in the corners would help draw us further and keep us in the rock area. Possibly toning down a few other lighter areas might help, too. The color image, even if you process it with a bit more contrast, won’t likely be as strong, because the hues are still a bit too similar and I don’t think they would visually separate as well. Well worth trying, though as it’s a great way to learn what works and what doesn’t! Good seeing on your part, overall.
Yes, good point about the hues. This point is something to remember when debating B & W or color. Not thought about this before. I usually think what could make a good black and white, but don’t think the other way round, ie would this make a good color. Think I might keep that in mind. Thanks a lot. Vingette yes, I think for sure.
Lorretta, I find this image to be delightful. I don’t have any helpful comments that haven’t already been made. I agree with the above and especially feel that the BW treatment is terrific. When I first saw this, my first thought was that it was the eye of a dragon. Great find and good processing.
Wonderful subject, well seen! For me, going with more contrast (but not the sledge hammer of the contrast slider) with the color version would be my choice. The B/W has gone very grainy and lost some subtlety.
That’s a great find; it does look like a dragon’s eye. I prefer the black and white, but maybe a little brighter. I also find I often like an image like this slightly toned. I played with that, and also cropped to remove the lower right corner since it was the only one that was darker:
My deepest apologies that I’m just now catching up to this Loretta; the second half of December was a bit insane, and I’m finally home and get back into the swing of things.
There are multiple ways I’ll tone a black and white, but for this image I used Curves Layers in Photoshop with the layer blending mode set to color. (This is the most common way that I tone a BW image.) I sometimes warm images, but more commonly cool them. The most common way I’ll do that is to move the highlights toward blue and the midtones toward cyan; this can give a “brightness” to the highlights and a silvery appearance to the midtones. You can adjust the amount you want by how far you move the curve points, and/or the layer opacities. Here’s examples of what the curves might look like:
The above examples tone the midtones and the highlights more than the shadows. Another option that tones more evenly across the board is to add a Fill Layer of whatever color you want to use for toning, and to again set the blending mode to color and adjust the opacity as desired. Another way is to add a Color Balance Layer, and target the shadows/midtones/highlights as desired. There are other options as well; maybe others can chime in with their favorites if they happen to catch this.
Wow, thanks for the thorough explanation. I have not heard of post processing like this. Seems I still have a lot of learn. Very much appreciate your time explaning this. Have noted for future reference. Regards to you.
