[Rupert]

I was just testing my Nokton 58mm at f1.8 and took this.......just snapping really, but I kind of like it? I have no explanation for the ISO 800 @ 1/400, it clearly wasn't necessary....but like I said, I was just snapping some test shots.

I would dearly love to be a good "people shooter"....it is almost as fun as shooting Squirrels, but if I am ever to achieve success, I need to get more serious about what I am doing. Tips on shooting or processing appreciated......tough hide here, no problem.
Regards!

[Adam]

The composition here is pretty good. As with any photo, though, you really need to watch the edges- the hair on the left is way too close to the edge, IMO. A little bit of "breathing room" would have been nice.

The high ISO here isn't apparent, but you can tell that the photo is a bit lacking in resolution. That's no biggie, though, because the B&W mostly makes up for it.

[Rupert]

Since it is a crop, that would be easy to repair. I actually like this version better, with a little "diffuse" softening in Virtual Photographer. It loses a little detail, but I like the softness of the shot better. Just a personal choice....
Attachment 68363

I do have a question for you Adam, or anyone else that is more qualified than I am and has more experience....which would be most here, I'm sure. It has always been my presumption that BW photos are better with more impact and clarity when shot with film over digital. I see so many fine BW photos done with film, and not so many with digital. Is this just some false idea I have planted in my mind or is it in fact a reality? If so, is it due to some factors relating to film and film cameras or is it due to processing? I find processing to BW most difficult to get anything I consider "worthy". I love BW and think for certain shots it is not only more appealing, it is almost a must to get the proper "atmosphere" and character of the subject, but it remains elusive for me to process a BW.
Best Regards!

[clark]

black and white is hard to get right in digital

but you do have to remember that the way colours and tone are rendered in film is a variation on what was actually there, where as digital is a true representation, this inheritance makes film more 'interesting' as what you see is not what you get, so the colour/tone shift makes photos of bland subjects look mystical and interesting

this is something that is so easy to emulate in digital, best thing to do is to generate a tone/colour correction you like, then set it as the lightroom default, then all photos you import are already corrected



as for processing the black and white- high contrast works, I generally push the black levels until there is black clipping around the important features, then adjust exposure to just before the point of white clipping, then adding fill light to balance out the image
if you want to send me the raw, I can show you what I mean?

adding grain helps too, I think it adds interest to the smooth areas, and I think it actually helps to bring out the detail too


I prefer the uncropped version, and I don't like the diffusion effect

[Rupert]

Thanks for the answer Clark, and the tips too. I will try them. If you send me a PM I will be happy to send you the original file,...... via a file sharing service?

I really want to learn to shoot people better and BW is an integral part of what I want to learn.
Best Regards!