Black and White - too much contrast?

[mozzie]

Hi,

Trying some black and white conversions of some photos but having a little bit of trouble deciding where to stop. Can't tell if I have bumped up the contrast too much and if they should be lighter. Would love some opinions and suggestions on how I could possibly make these work more.

[aim54x]

Definitely works well in the first image...although I dont like the little red mark on the building.

I am unfussed about the middle two...but my main query is if there is any detail in the sky of the last....

Very nice images though

[PiroStitch]

Looks great. Trying to decide where you want to stop might mean you need to take a step back, leave the room for a few minutes then come back to see what sort of opinion you have of the image. Most likely it will be an image by image sitaution, depending on what you want to accentuate or communicate in your image. For example, do you want detail in the sky or do you want to blow it out to accentuate negative space, etc. For portraits, do you have enough detail where you want it, etc.

[Steffen]

No, not too much contrast for me. I quite like all of these.

I second some of the previous comments, such as, lose the selective red colour in the first shot, it sucks up all the attention but doesn't really communicate anything. With the last, I'd either radically crop the sky, or, if you want to convey the city being smothered by fog, a lot off the bottom.

Cheers
Steffen.

[gstark]

Among the first couple of questions no need to ask are whether or not you have a full black, and a full white, represented somewhere within the image.

Then you need to decide if you have enough greys, allowing you to cross from the whites to the blacks.

I see this in each of these images, and to my eye, they all work well as B&W images.

I too don't like the red splash in the first image, and yes, I'd probably look towards selectively adding a bit more contrast into the sky in the last of these.

[Mr Darcy]

#1 as others have said lose the red cross. It just reads as a selection mark to me (In the old days of film 'togs would put a mark like this on the contact print to select (or reject!) a photo) Otherwise I think it works well.

#2 In terms of B&W I think it is an excellent conversion. It doesn't work for me as a photo though.

#3 An excellent capture. If anything, I would like a little more detail in the figure's jacket, but if it loses in the rest of the photo when you try, leave it as is.

#4 I would be inclined to try a 2:1 crop into a pano Leave the bottom where it is and lose a lot of the sky. Maybe a little more than 2:1 but not as much as 3:1. Also clone out the black spots (birds?) in the sky You will lose several in the suggested crop, but there are still a few left (or is my monitor dirty? ) While you have the clone tool out, get rid of that paper floating in the foreground, and maybe that white flotsam (swan?) a little further back. Also the pole on the far left. With the sky you have left, see if you can get some detail into the clouds, but don't lose the sense of mist on the mountains. If you find you are losing it, forget the detail.

Where have you been travelling? Looks like Eastern Europe somewhere.

[Matt. K]

Mozzzie
I think you are getting the conversions just about spot on.

[Mj]

Based on your question my answer is simply no... not too much... I think for each of these you've got the conversion pretty much right. Some of the comments made by others I might agree to some extent but that wasn't the question.

[mozzie]

hi guys,

Thanks for the advice. Hadn't even noticed some of the things that got brought up like the spots (i just assumed my monitor was dirty).

Maybe a little more than 2:1 but not as much as 3:1. Also clone out the black spots (birds?) in the sky You will lose several in the suggested crop, but there are still a few left (or is my monitor dirty? ) While you have the clone tool out, get rid of that paper floating in the foreground, and maybe that white flotsam (swan?) a little further back. Also the pole on the far left.

The crop on the photo does make it work a LOT more. I was wondering what to do with all that sky - tried to get as much detail out of it as possible.

and the red mark, yes agree that it probaglby adds little and is just distracting... i am just discovering photoshop so got a little carreid away on that

Really do appreciate the advice like looking at the grey etc....