"Overall Comments
It’s good to see you trying out for the first time the use of sliders in lightroom
to convert the images to black and white. You have been effective in
producing a set of images that successfully convert colour images into black
and white ones.
Do bear in mind that using Lightroom sliders affects the whole image - you
may want to consider selecting a portion of the image to affect ( I tend to use
a combination of software including photoshop for this).
You have concentrated on bring out or holding back certain colours and how
they are converted into the black and white image and have done this well.
However, I do think that you could have experimented a little more with
different treatments - for example give the image a low or high key effect. In
you image 7 I think that you could have tried a low key effect to bring out the
light banding of the brickwork.
I do think that you need to watch your verticals - in a couple of the images
they aren’t quite vertical and when you have such a concentration on
architectural imagery this is quite important. (Damn! I am aware of this issue and did make adjustments to some of the images but ignored some others.)
You mention that you have taken the images all on one day that had total
cloud cover. While this is fine as far as it goes, I do think that you may have
limited yourself by doing this. On different days at different times you could
have taken advantage of different light/cloud/sky conditions and this may have
been beneficial with some of the images that have a large expanse of sky in
the scene - either reflected in the water or in the sky.(Point taken)
I also get the impression you are using techniques for the sake of using them
rather than as tools to create images of a particular type and feel. (This is probably true in as much as I am still getting used to the various software techniques for converting to b&w). For
example in image 8 you mention increasing the contrast but don’t elaborate
why. Are you looking to achieve a hard, gritty “northern feel” to the image? (As a hard(?) gritty northerner myself, perhaps I was. I do seem to prefer this type of shot.)
give you an alternative image which softens down the contrast and gives a
much more ethereal view of the scene as if on a misty morning. Neither one is
better than the other, it’s just you don’t appear (through your lack of
discussion in your log) to have a clear rationale for doing what you have done. (I was certainly not looking for this more ethereal view, which probably says a lot about my imagination - or lack of it!).
The assignment asks (or at least my version of the course material) for some
prints to accompany your submission and these are lacking. (I have written to my tutor about this and we have agreed that we have different versions of the course material. Why are there different versions? Why would a course with an emphasis on digital practice require prints?).
In your conclusion you mention considering using sliver effex pro - this is
definitely worth while but I do think that you need to consider that this is just
another tool and you need to be clear about what you are wanting to achieve
and why by converting to B&W.
Feedback on assignment
Image 1
OK, good Contrasting tones on bridge - what colour were they to start with? -
increasing the red slider would suggest that the areas now near white were
red and so good use to enhance the contrast here - What about the effects of
the blue - you need to log this. (Actually, the bridge was originally black and white. The blue slider affects the roof of the building). Sky is weak, tower is not straight and tones in
the brick work of the building could be strengthened. Perhaps use photoshop
to apply selective treatment to these areas. See my version. (NOT SHOWN). (I agree with all these comments and have provided a revised image below, along with the original colour version. I'm afraid it is a gritty northern conversion but the brick work is much more defined as are the reflections. The sky is weak but the skyline is more defined. A better attempt, I think.)
Image 2
OK I can see you were interested in the sky reflected in the water and the
conversion to B&W has assisted this - but you have rendered the sky almost
white and as the day was overcast there is no variation in tone here. A clear
deep blue sky could have resulted in a light grey that could have been
reproduced as quite dark depending on use of sliders.
Your image has the sky making a good high contrast with the dark shadow
area of the reflection of the underside of the tunnel roof In this it displays good
graphical shapes. But I think it might have been better with a slightly darker
grey. An alternative treatment you could have gone for was the a deep
brooding atmosphere and this could have been created using a low key effect.
Use of blue changes to lighten the jacket is good other wise would have
blended into the brickwork. Could you have made more of the banding in the
brickwork by selective filtering?
Its a bit low on the interpretation scale. But got good geometry. Could you
have concentrated on this more? Cut out figures? see my suggested
possibility.(NOT SHOWN).
(I do prefer my tutor's cropped version and I have made my own as shown below, together with the original colour version. I tried to bring out the patterns in the brickwork using the orange, red and yellow sliders, to some success).
Image 3
Yes done well to use the filters to highlight the contrast between the bricks.
The lighting seems to have been quite even - how do you think that different
conditions would have effected the scene - yellow/red sunlight at the start/end
of the day falling on the bricks at an angle could have helped bring out the
texture?
(Again, a good point about the angle of light striking the bricks to show even more texture).
Image 4
Another good image showing good geometrical shapes the arch repeated in
the wake of the duck. But how do you think converting it to B&W has helped
the impression /interpretation of the colour and tonality of the brickwork.
I can see that lightening the blue of the boat has helped pick it out from the
background. However, this is very much a repeat of some of your other
images and I would have thought that you could have tried a different
treatment to show more variety. Low/high key treatment, shooting the scene
on a different day - a misty day with mist rising off the water?
(Below are the original colour version of this shot plus two different interpretations of mono conversions, one low key and much less contrasty. I do prefer the low key version over the one posted for the assignment.)
Image 5
You have done well with the sliders to tone down the reflection of the sky in
the water and contrast the snow against the ground. The sky is a bit
something and nothing with little interest. You might get quite a different effect
by choosing a day with a deep blue sky or perhaps a mackerel sky in the
evening with low light.
Image 6
I think this is another good image. You have done well to darken the green
fence and have it more in keeping with this style of shot. The black and white
treatment has really worked to give a “sixties” feel to the image which I would
imagine is very different from the colour version. You mention your dilemma
over the red filter - I think it would have been useful to go into more detail
about the reasons for your choice in relation to the alternative.
The wall is quite muddy with little tonal separation - how could you have used
the filters to affect this? I have just used a curves layer in photoshop to
increase the tonal separation to give you
an idea of an alternative. (NOT SHOWN) Also darkened
the wet roadway to emphasise the
reflections.
( Above, is the original colour image and my revised version following my tutor's comments. I have darkened the shadows/reflections using the Targeted Adjustment tool in Lightroom. I much prefer this to the original mono version)
Image 7
You have brought out the different tones
of the bricks really well in this image.
Also you have cropped and framed the
image to concentrate on the graphic
shapes really well. Did you consider
making it a low key image and
concentrate on the lighter banding of the
bricks and how this chimes with the
highlights on the steps and the metal
bars of the fence? See a possibility. (NOT SHOWN). How
do you think this affects the
representation of the scene?
( Again, I am in agreement with the comments made and have made a low key image as suggested. This certainly makes the original colour (and assignment mono conversion) more interesting).
Image 8
Again a good use of the blue slider which has resulted in a darken of the roof
tops and reflections in the water. But I do wonder how you feel that converting
this image from colour to black and white has improved it and or given it a
different interpretation. You don’t mention this or discuss it in your blog. For
example has it given a greater impression of tone, texture or geometric
shape? Another way of looking at this image is soften it down and create a
misty feel to it ( I have also rotated it a little to straighten up the verticals.) This
gives quite a different feel to the image and which treatment you decide on
needs to be governed by what it is you are wanting to create. It is this aspect
that I feel you haven’t got clear in your mind.
( Another case where I neglected to straighten the verticals! I think that for this image, I had in mind a number of things when I was taking it. I like the shape of the bridge but also the reflections in the canal and the buildings on either side. The canal boat was colourful and I waited until there were figures crossing the bridge. Perhaps the original mono conversion (apart from the verticals) didn't add much by being converted but I have revised this in order to bring out more of the texture in the brickwork and to give a stronger contrast. Also, following on from my tutors suggestion, I have tried for a more 'misty' look by softening via the Clarity key (to the left) and using less contrast. It is a different feel but I still prefer the more 'gritty' feel of the revised mono conversion. The original colour version together with the revised 'gritty' conversion, together with the 'misty' one, are shown below.)
Learning Logs/Critical essays
Your log explains what you have done clearly and well. What it does lack is
more explanation/discussion as to why you have done it. This is particularly
important as the assignment ask for a discussion as to why you have chosen
your particular theme, what you set out to achieve from the point of view of
using black and white imagery in this instance and how well you feel you have
succeeded.
It’s good to see you commentating on your exercises - your exercise 14 was a
useful preparation for the assignment. I do think that you could do more
research as part of your preparation for the assignment such as looking at
various other black and white work and record your reaction - both good and
bad - to what the photographer has achieved and how.
Suggested reading/viewing
You are already looking at John Batdorff’s book. Jane Bown worked
predominantly in Black and White and gave a lot of consideration to texture
and tone in both her renown portrait work and her lesser well known material.
(I have looked at some of the work of Jane Bown and some of the online videos discussing her work. I like her photographs (- particularly her portraits - very much and it was interesting that she used the available light rather than any form of artificial light (apart from the odd use of an angle-poise lamp which she used to 'borrow' from her newspapers office!). Another marked feature of her work was the plain backgrounds that she used to avoid detracting from the impact of her portraits and also her attention to ensuring 'good eyes'. She favoured a two and a quarter inch format for her prints.)
Pointers for the next assignment
I think that you need to concentrate on making sure that you can use the
various tools of manipulation well as a means to an end rather than an end in
themselves. It’s important to reflect on and decide for yourself where you think
the boundaries lie in terms of the extent you feel manipulation is justifiable.
Then using this next assignment to demonstrate this stance.
Tutor name: Simon Barber
Date 14 February 2012"
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