First attempts at black and white!

[Callalily]

Cabbage


Squash

[Solly Mack]

1. I like!

Especially the 2nd one.

[Callalily]

2. Thanks! B/W photography is indeed challenging!

I attempted a photo with potato chips, but it failed miserably.

But there is a great advantage to taking photos of food. Once you're done, you can eat your subject! :rofl:

[Solly Mack]

3. lololol! Good point!

I'm trying...but can't really get anything I like enough to share.

[alfredo]

4. How are you doing them? Are you converting in camera, or

in post processing?

I do a bit of both. I use GiMP in post processing. I have four ways of converting. I have Desaturate, changing mode to Black and White, Filtered BW, and Black and White film.

The second two are plugins. The first applies different colored filters, to B&W. Black and White Film gives me a selection of several types of B&W film. I like the Ilford Pan F, but most of them are so close, it doesn't make much difference. The FilterBW makes for some dramatic changes.

What do you use for post processing?

[Johnny Noshoes]

5. What do you use for post processing?

I use Corel Paint Shop Pro PhotoX2 and Nik Software's Silver EFX. The Nik Software is a plugin and the best software I have ever bought. It has the film effects built in and I find myself liking either Kodak Pan X at 32asa or the same Ilford you like the Pan F. The plugin can do all sorts of amazing things its true but you of course need to take the time to get a good shot.

[alfredo]

12. GIMP.

[Stevenmarc]

17. I love Nik

And the reason they create the best plugins in the industry is because their engineers work closely with some of the best photographers in the industry, I have and use all their photoshop plugins and their new iPhone/iPad product Snapseed is f'ing brilliant.

[rdking647]

18. i second the praise for Silver EFX

I just bought their combo pak of plugins for aperture. I love them.

[ManiacJoe]

20. Full version PSP 13 for $30 thru 8/31.

:party:
http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1184951547051

[Callalily]

7. You guys are far more techy than

I am. I just set my camera on monochrome and shoot! ;-) Of course no flash or automatic allowed! ;-)

[alfredo]

10. Dupe

[alfredo]

11. I Like your results with the in camera conversion. My Canon G10 did

A good job with B&W. I haven't explored it on my Oly.

[Solly Mack]

9. Both (in/post). I have PS, Picasa, GIMP

I'm just not happy with my subject choices mainly. Still trying to find something...

[alfredo]

13. Try portraits and architecture. Flowers can be delightful.

[Johnny Noshoes]

6. I like the second one.

nt

[Callalily]

8. Thanks! n/t

[Mira]

14. For what it's worth- I think you are doing great! I especially am fond of number one

for the reason that the subject matter and the focus just rolls on the page diagonally and then rolls off. The second one is very well done, beautifully arranged, but not as exciting as the first one.
Keep on. You are on a roll - black and white is amazing and sometimes all wrong, and sometimes all "right" as I find out as I experiment.

[ohheckyeah]

15. Very nice...

I like both but I think I like the first one best. Nice curves and interesting composition.

I applaud you for not blowing it out and keeping it darker than a lot of people would...nice rich blacks that still have detail do so much for a B&W photo.

[flamin lib]

16. As usual you see light well. B&W makes the use of light even more

important. Just for fun you should play with filters, either digital post processing or the old fashioned glass type if you can still find such things. See how the tonality changes with a red, yellow or green filter.

"A black and white photograph can reveal what lies before a photographer's lens with such clarity that the image becomes more real than the subject itself," Edward Weston. I still think he was a jerk but he said some profound things anyway.

[rdking647]

19. i love the second one.