# Crash Course

**URL:** <https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/crash-course/31409>\
**Category:** Image Critiques\
**Tags:** weekly-challenge\
**Created:** [November 4, 2022, 2:59am UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/crash-course/31409 "2022-11-04T02:59:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ted\_Forman](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/ted_forman/32/23367_2.png) [@Ted\_Forman](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Ted_Forman)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 2:59am UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/crash-course/31409/1 "2022-11-04T02:59:29Z")

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![Crash Course](https://images.naturephotographers.network/original/3X/e/b/eb1de82f0c1e16a81c5957d6b254a97897173974.jpeg)

I can spend all day watching and listening to the sound of large waves pounding into offshore rocks. That is exactly what I was doing recently along the Oregon coast. I set up my camera and tripod on the beach and watched as the waves moved in and met up with these large sea stacks. I would trip the shutter and capture a sequence of images whenever this resulted in some good action. After reviewing the photos on my laptop I selected the best ones , and decided to convert this particular image to black and white and process it in Lightroom.

### Specific Feedback Requested

Besides the usual general feedback from the community, I would like to get some advice on where I might be able to improve on the black and white processing. I have been doing more of these conversions lately and liking it vey much, so any constructive criticism would be most appreciated.

### Technical Details

Canon R7, 1/2500 sec at f/6.3, ISO 400  
Original raw file converted and processed in black and white in Lightroom Classic

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**Author:** ![AndreDonawa](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/andredonawa/32/44452_2.png) [@AndreDonawa](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/AndreDonawa)\
**Post date:** [November 4, 2022, 11:26pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/crash-course/31409/2 "2022-11-04T23:26:09Z")

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Great image Ted.  
I like the composition with the 3 black rocks and the 2 white waves layered on top of each other. Nice pattern. And then you have the sky and the foreground adding to the mix.  
One of the things that I found helps me a lot with B&W images is to pay special attention to large elements in the scene and decide how you would like to portray them.  
I find we are more open to radical creative changes in B&W’s than we are in colour. Just check out Ansel Adams sky in Monlith.  
Here’s a rough edit in LR with a gradient filter and range mask. I also cropped a bit of the left side to stop the change in angle of the rock.  
I think my edit helps to bring out the B&W pattern even more.  
I don’t think my edit is the right way to do it. It’s just a different way to tell the story. Like the detail you caught with that speedy SS.

 ![3Q3A0546-2](https://images.naturephotographers.network/original/3X/c/2/c2ed183450e3b5964e6e617861907c5a272c99aa.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![Ted\_Forman](https://assets.naturephotographers.network/user_avatar/community.naturephotographers.network/ted_forman/32/23367_2.png) [@Ted\_Forman](https://community.naturephotographers.network/u/Ted_Forman)\
**Post date:** [November 7, 2022, 9:38pm UTC](https://community.naturephotographers.network/t/crash-course/31409/3 "2022-11-07T21:38:04Z")

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Thanks for your feedback. I do think the changes you made helped the image stand out more.