South America Monochromes

[stubbsy]

Maybe I'm in a black mood, but a lot of the shots I've processed today are in black and white. Here are a few that excite me. More can be found HERE. I'd be interested in your opinion of these.

Each image is a single shot Tone Compressed HDR created using Nik HDR Efex Pro. To see an image larger, just click it.


The colour version of this first one is HERE

[aim54x]

Other than #1 needing a tad more contrast these are stunning!

[biggerry]

Peter, I am not entirely convinced on teh BW merits, however it may grow on me with time. The first image, imo looks better in colour.

The second image is a good composition with distinct and leading elements, this, out of all of them probably lends itself to BW conversion more.

The last two I find flat and cluttered and I suspect (only since I have not seen the colour one) this is teh HDR treatment and the BW conversion. I think BW needs to have a very strong main subject or else things can get lost in contrast between the black and whites.

Looking at the last image, what colour was the foreground? it looks like a good composition for a layered composition that might work better in colour, I would also like to see the ridge lines more defined and am curious if they are in the colour version.

anyway I could just be talking rubbish outta my arse here but hth.

[Remorhaz]

Interesting... my first impression was that I really quite liked #1 (before and after I looked at the colour version), I didn't care much for the monochrome #2 but I did like #3 and not so much #4.

[Alpha_7]

I might be biased as I was there when all of these were taken but for me, only the last two really STAND OUT, the first two just don't have much impact for me, I"m not sure why.

[Matt. K]

Peter
These are very nice conversions....but the real test would be to see them printed on art quality matte paper...very large. I think this would bring them to life and they would leap off the page.

[zafra52]

I like all of them

[PiroStitch]

i prefer the 2nd and 4th pic of this series. The conversion certainly evokes awe and for me, black and whites certainly provide a punch to landscapes!

[Murray Foote]

#1 I think the colour version works better because the bright green on the big rock makes that dominant whereas in the mono version, the water becomes dominant, which draws you away at the bottom. Also may have been nice to have a touch more at the right and maybe crop the sky down a bit.

#2 I think the people are too dominant, especially at the bottom. Dark tones there (and turning the white to greys) would help, I suspect.

#3 and #4, the print would be the test, as has been said. With #3 I just wonder if it would help to make the cloud curving up and touching the mountain in the middle a bit more grey and similarly with #4 to darken the sky somewhat just behind the mountains.

Did any of the images come close to working as the single best exposure from within the HDR?

[radar]

Peter,

for me, the last two are great and as others have said, once printed, they would look great.

#2 is very nice, I don't mind the people in the shot, gives some scale but Murray's suggestion is a good one.

On the processing side of things, why did you do the HDR tone compression? I haven't used that in my workflow, so I'm curious as to why you used it.

cheers,

André

[stubbsy]

Thank you all for you excellent feedback.

Did any of the images come close to working as the single best exposure from within the HDR?

All of these are "pseudo" HDRs generated from a single image - they are a single exposure.

Looking at the last image, what colour was the foreground? it looks like a good composition for a layered composition that might work better in colour, I would also like to see the ridge lines more defined and am curious if they are in the colour version.

Here's a colour treatment of the last image (click for larger):

On the processing side of things, why did you do the HDR tone compression? I haven't used that in my workflow, so I'm curious as to why you used it

André, that's a good question. My attempts at a more traditional monochrome conversion lacked the punch and drama of the pseudo HDRs. As a comparison below is my best attempt at a more standard (non HDR) conversion of the last image - done as a quadtone.




And finally, here is #2 in colour minus people.

[Murray Foote]

Did any of the images come close to working as the single best exposure from within the HDR?

All of these are "pseudo" HDRs generated from a single image - they are a single exposure.

Ah, that's interesting. In that case I'll ask the question the other way round: Given the intense highlights of snow and water in the images, do you feel that shadow or highlight detail was adversely compromised in any of the images by taking only a single exposure? Come to think of it, multi-image HDR of a waterfall could be tricky because the shutter speed would be changing, though I guess you could always combine manually.

(I suppose it could be advantageous to use the camera in single cell metering mode for spot meter readings to determine dynamic range).

...

I think the colour mountainscape works better as mono because the brown of the soil is a bit bright and surreal and becomes a feature. Perhaps it you desaturated to the point where it wasn't clear whether it was colour or mono....

I've never done a quadtone. That's the seemingly laborious process in Photoshop, I presume?

[wendellt]

all great espewcially those two watefall ones
2nd watrefall one has abetter sense of scale since you got the people on the platform well done

whats the story behind all of this trekking

[stubbsy]

whats the story behind all of this trekking

Wow Wendell. Good question. I notice I didn't say much in my post did I.

The first two images were both taken at Iguazu Falls in Argentina. Craig (Alpha_7) and I both went there after we returned from our Antarctic trip last November. The second two are of the mountain range above Ushuaia taken on a helicopter flight we took the day before we sailed from Ushuaia on our Antarctic trip.

[radar]

thanks Peter, much appreciated. I see why you did the tone compression now looking at the other version.
As luck would have it, also found this article. Similar concept, different technique.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutor ... tion.shtml

Cheers,

André

[Alex]

I think I would prefer to see the waterfall pictures in colour but the snowy mountains look great in monochrome.

Alex

[zafra52]

Funy...I was just going to say the same...

2nd watrefall one has abetter sense of scale since you got the people

I must admit I didn't notice the people in the first one, but I think they add rather
detract.