found this going thru old images and thought it might make a good black and white image.
how can i process it better? i used the Nik filter. is it too dark? what post processing can i do to improve it?
Is this a composite: No
iso 400 70 mm 5.6 1/1000 sec
This really stopped me as I was scrolling through. I’m not always a fan of BW but it works really well here. You have great tonal contrast. The image is dark and moody, but with enough white to keep it from being gloomy. The division of space is well balanced. The textures are incredible. This image is enough to make be a BW fan!
I echo Chris’s thoughts on your image Frank. It has good tonal range and the exposure is well balanced. Most of all I like the dramatic storm light.
I also enjoy the BW rendering, as for me the complex lines in the icy water and the brooding shy and mountains are all about tonality and mood. Stunning stuff!
I felt that reducing brightness of the upper left and lower left kept me in the central elements of the picture a bit better. Also wondered if the pebbles in the LRC were distracting, so cropped them along with some (to my eye) excess shoreline.
The mountains and trees can stand little sharpening, but that might over-emphasize them a bit more than you wish.
Frank, I agree with @Chris_Baird the processing of tonal range is impressive. The range of tones and variety of shapes in the dried up lake is just wonderful. Even with a sky this dramatic, the lake bed gives the sky a run for it’s money in terms of being the star of the show. A lot of folks might have looked at this dried up lake and been disappointed by its condition, but I think it did you a big favor instead. Great vision to recognize the potential in this scene for B&W.
I like what @Dick_Knudson did in his rework, cloning away the stones and burning the two left corners. It especially balances the luminosity across the sky.
Another fine example of the benefits of this website. I studied the posted image before reading any comments. I thought it was as good as can get until I saw Dick’s rendition. I do think he has improved an image I thought could not be improved. Both are impressive. B/W is a great choice.
thanks for these suggestions! very helpful!
