With having to spend more time at home, I’ve been going through a number of You Tube videos on post-processing. Blake Rudis has some good ones on black and white conversions, so I tried it out on some birds.
Specific Feedback Requested: What do you think? Are some birds presentable in black and white or is color a must?
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Canon 7D II; Sigma 150-600 at 600mm; 1/1000, f7.1; ISO 200. In PS: Invert adjustment layer, Color blend mode, 50% opacity gives it a black and white look; then HSL layer above the background layer for fine tuning colors , and some dodging and burning.
Allen, this came out very well, with lots of detail in the bird. The “sunning” pose is good. The negative space looks good and is a nice change-of-pace. I could also see this cropped with the post centered
Hi Allen! Love this pose of your Turkey Vulture! I love it when they stretch their wings out to sun! I love that s/he is looking back at you as well. In my opinion, Turkey Vultures have such beautiful feathers that I think the black and white takes away from that. On the other hand black and white for a Turkey Vulture would maybe look good on a portrait shot mainly showing their face. Like was mentioned the details in the feathers are awesome! But that’s especially why I would love to see this in color! It just feels like the beauty is being hidden. This is just coming from a Vulture lover, so I am biased to them.
I think this is a cool image. The pose is great with the wing spread and the nice head turn. The B/W idea I think is a very good one. I’m not sold on the the results of this B/W conversion however. I took the image to PS and did a bit of work to create more contrast and brighten up the background to create more separation. I find the muted gray background pulls from the overall image aesthetic. Here’s a different version. See what you think.
I think this was a great option for B&W conversion. I like where Keith took it. Gives it a more graphic feel, which seems appropriate for a turkey vulture.
A very well done image, Allen. I like the pose and head turn and I like your processing. I could see a bit of brightening of the background, but the stark contrast of Keith’s version is a bit too much for my taste.
I prefer Keith’s more dramatic or graphic version also. It sets the vulture and the fine feather detail off to better advantage I think. Nice pose and a really good idea.
Thanks, @Keith_Bauer. I like that the sky is lighter and provides more contrast for the vulture. The original sky is definitely too much of a dull gray.
I also prefer the second version. As to whether birds can be presentable in B and W treatment - I’d say, of course, especially with a dramatic pose against a bare pale BG created by a dark bird with great feather detail, as you have here. Not so suitable for, e.g a Painted Bunting!
