fotografz Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 Awhile back I had posted a question about upcoming weddings you might be really looking forward to. Mine was for a bride of Mexican heritage. Perhaps more importantly, both the Bride and Groom are artists ... which meant I could be more experimental and creative with some of the work (at their request). I'm especially interested in your reactions to the B&W work because I've developed a new technique to convert color digital images shot in extremely dark conditions into B&W files. All but a few B&Ws were processed this way. Maybe not for everyone, but this couple will love it ( I hope ; -) Here is a link to a sampling of the 200 images I ended up keeping ... <a href=http:// www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=434314>Not Your Usual Wedding</a<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominic_. Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 I don't know if it's just my comp, but the links don't seem to be working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografz Posted September 29, 2004 Author Share Posted September 29, 2004 Here we go again... <a href=http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=434314>Not Your Usual Wedding<a/> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyholden Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 Awesome as usual Marc. The B&W dancing pictures are exceptional. I love the challenge of capturing the energy and freedom of reception dancing on film (or in pixels?) You did it perfectly. I am interested to hear how you converted the files, wanna share? Wendy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominic_. Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 Wonderful shots Marc, too hard for me to pick a favourite, but I certainly like the one posted to this page. As for the B&Ws, they look fine to me, in fact I really like them, IMO they far surpass those done in colour. On a monitor it's hard to tell the quality of the image as compared to a real B&W image, how do they look printed? Nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenit_zepplin Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 a quicky peekachu at the source code reveals tha the desired link is: http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=434314 <br> there was an extra space... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenit_zepplin Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 <a href=http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=434314>or click here</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenit_zepplin Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 well, this shows how slow I and my connection really are... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anton frid photography Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 Marc....my fav are " Latin Dancing" | "Groom at the Buffet" | "Bride Visits With Friend" great job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WM Posted September 29, 2004 Share Posted September 29, 2004 Hi Marc, Awesome shots ! I love the energy and the wild angles you were giving your photos...........I love the wild angles (Oh, I've already said that !).........."Groom at the buffet, Waiting, and First dance #1, 2, 3" are my favourites. Keep on posting Marc ! Cheers, Wee-Ming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodolfo_negrete Posted September 30, 2004 Share Posted September 30, 2004 Marc you are such an inspirations for all of us here. I don't think I am in the place of telling you how good you are but I am always looking forward to anything you have share. thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nstock Posted September 30, 2004 Share Posted September 30, 2004 I will try to answer the B&W question... I like the tones and they look very nice. I think that the conversion and the tweaking you are doing you have down very well. I am wondering why (in my case it is usually the cutomer's request not to) you don't have some in sepia tone, if nothing else for comparison. Recently I did a wedding involving old tyme trains, train station, taxi etc. and the bride and groom asked for sepia for that "old tyme look" to the B&W. I had a similar request last spring and I have another one coming up in 3 weeks that will involve the bride wearing a lovely antique wedding gown (how cool is that!). I still shoot film and I had Portra B&W C 41 stuff as my choice for a variety of reasons. While my customers were happy with the results, I have experience with silver prints in a wet DR and I felt some of the images were a bit "muddy." I am wondering what you would do with Sepia with your digital conversion? Of course, now that Kodak has disconitnued Portra B&W I am using TCN (it is low contrast I think and not as nice) or (while available) Ilford XP 2. With this trend I will be doing my B&W in the wet DR again... (I know.. convert to digital... and that is an idea but the conversion is a lot of cash outlay I am unwilling to make right now). Now on to the OPINION part of the critique (since everyone else here has offered their $.02 and advice and opinions are worth what you pay:-) ). The image of the dress being done is nicely executed but my eye goes to the partial eye of the girl behind the bride (upper LH corner) and while it shows expression IMO it detracts from the subject and the overall image quality. I don't like it for that reason from an artisic stand point. The images taken down low I never like because I feel like I am looking up ppl's noses and I just don't like Nose Hair pics ;-). I never have liked low angle pics of ppl tho if your customers like them you can laugh at my opinion all the away to the bank. Your customers are who you are shooting for. The rest are good images. Thank you for sharing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl photography Posted September 30, 2004 Share Posted September 30, 2004 What perfect timing, lively candids, and dynamic angles! "Decisive moments" all.... I love Two Dolls and the dancing pictures. The B&W does look nice, with good midtone contrast and without any "radioactive glow" or other unrealistic/artsy effects. Very journalistic, while being creative and expressive. "Brandon's Dad" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_nelson___atlanta__ga Posted September 30, 2004 Share Posted September 30, 2004 Marc, I think you have nailed the digital black & white thing. These are great photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikonboy Posted September 30, 2004 Share Posted September 30, 2004 Marc ... the B&Ws look great ... they have that true silver glow to them. Please tell us how you did it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografz Posted September 30, 2004 Author Share Posted September 30, 2004 Thanks everyone, I'm printing these now and the B&Ws are turning out better than I expected. As to the technique someone asked about. It's basically a twist on the old Channels split. But this time I layered the red channel over the green one and used the opacity slider to get it just right. In a few cases I selectively used the eraser tool to reveal portions of the green channel. After you split the channels, toss away the blue channel and then place the red and green ones side by side to compare which has better tones in what areas. I found that the Red channel "sees" into the darks when shooting more ambient light shots in dark conditions due to the warm tungsten content where the flash had less effect. Note that the red channel image is so smooth and clean you have to add grain to make it feel right. Basically, in effect, it extends the dynamic range tremendously. No two shots are the same so you have to decide which is better in what area of the image. At the very least it's interesting to see. Nancy, thanks. No nose hairs visible in any prints so far. If I shot this wedding conventionally, I'd never get another job from this crowd. There were at least 5 really good professional photographers there as guests of the B&G (some of them shooting). They chose me because of a "creative" wedding I did for another of their art school crew. If I even suggested sepia toning they'd puke. As it is, I'm not sure I went far enough. Different strokes for different folks. For me it's a diversion that let's me experiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattalofs Posted September 30, 2004 Share Posted September 30, 2004 The B&W conversion looks pretty good, although I'd be really interested in seeing how it prints; it's hard to judge on screen. The flash work looks a little harsher than you normally go for though. Was the light level that low? Or is this intentional? Out of curiousity, how much time does it take to do the B&W conversion? Faster than scanning B&W negs I hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografz Posted September 30, 2004 Author Share Posted September 30, 2004 Way faster than scanning Matt. The tones tend to ease out more in the print because a screen with projected light is always a bit brighter than reflected light from white paper. Plus I'm using Enhanced Matte paper to print on with matte black replacing photo black in my Epson 2200. Very rich looking. And yes, the look was intentional, but it's okay to not like it Matt. Here's another one from the same night.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattalofs Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 Well, I guess there aren't many things in life slower than scanning negs (I spent all day sunday scanning). Just this week I started making the switch to printing B&W digitally; I was never the best wet printer in the world, and so far I'm very satisfied with the results. One more step down the road to an all digital workflow. Thanks for sharing Marc. You are right; I don't have to like it, and sometimes I don't, but it's always good to see someone working with passion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografz Posted October 1, 2004 Author Share Posted October 1, 2004 Sometimes I like scanning negs. I spent 20 years in the darkroom, and it never was easy there either. I like the control with digital. You can work on a sub atomic scale if you want ; -) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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