kuzem

The muted colors and tones look great here Dick. The boat has this new look sheen to it when shot in this light.

I like the detail and lighting. This time is my favorite to shoot as well.

Is this a single exposure, or has there been some editing to achieve this look. I like it.

Another photo that emits saturation and sharpness. No critisism here. Another high quality photo from you.

What a finely done photo. This is the most creative animal photo you have. The essence of the picture speaks "pro" and not "snapshot" when you look at it. The feeling of calmness and tranquility comes through easily. There is not a single thing I would change about it.

Dick, it seems I may have another convert. Besides being my favorite, its also the only kind I can afford to print, color just costs too much. That's life for you.

Another beautiful B&W. I like this one more than the other one, the composition and tones are very nice looking. Good job with this.

Wow, that's really good. What a longing expression. I see you've gone for a low key look here. I'm itching to say that there's not enough contrast, but I need to get a hold of my personal emotions. My preferences aside, its a very nice photo, I'm wondering why you didn't submit it earlier. I'm curious to see what else you have. Night Dick.

 

->Max

That's great if you still like color Dick. I just have a tendency to prefer some, no, almost all photos in B&W. You'll find I may start to push this on others (you), but just ignore it, both B&W and color are equally great.

Right, B&W, my specialty. First of all, never, ever, preform in-camera B&W conversions or just desaturate the image. Funny enough, you need color to make a good B&W photo. The best way to go is to shoot in RAW and edit it using Aperture's monochrome mixer (the equivalent of photoshop's channel mixer).

 

First, set the camera to RAW capture and turn on the B&W mode. This will save the color RAW file, but gives you a B&W preview (you might have to set RAW+jpeg to get this, not sure). After you download the images to your computer, open up the RAW files in Aperture and clean up the noise, sharpen, recover lost highlights and shadows, and adjust the histogram to your liking. After your dynamic range is set, increase the saturation. This may sound weird as this is meant to be a B&W, but its for the monochrome color filters you'll be using. On the adjustments setting window, press the + and select "Monochrome Mixer". Experiment with the three sliders to produce different effects, this is where keeping the colors comes in handy. To give you a start on this, check out the color filter presets to see how different filters render, then fine tune. After you're happy, adjust contrast to your liking. I also add noise as a final step as it gives highlights and out of focus parts of the picture more texture.

 

After playing around with B&W a lot, I've created a set of custom actions that makes the whole process much faster. I have three presets for medium, high, and very high contrast and apply them depending on the mood of the photo. I just need to properly expose the photo first, applying dodging or burning if required, then select one of the three presets. It takes under a minute per photo and allows me to spend more time taking photos, and not editing them. Hopefully, if you ever decide to go down this path as well, you'll find your own special style and automate most of the process. Hope this mini tutorial helps you alot. I'll be looking forward to more of your photos in the future. See ya.

 

->Max

I like your portrait, its filled with emotion. The expression in her face is perfect. Technically, not as sharp as it could be. You should get used to shooting at ISO 400 or higher to make sure your shots come in sharp. I find most portraits nicer in B&W, but that's just me. I just find the colors detracting and the lighting is more pronounced when in monochrome. Your photos are looking better as you go on. Keep on improving!

 

-Max

Contrary to what Jay says, I'd leave this shot alone. It looks like it was taken in overcast weather, and the picture represents that. The tones are also really nicely done here, but it needs a touch of sharpening. Just keep in mind that sharpening is better done moderately, as I've seen you go overboard sometimes before. You should try a B&W with this one, the tones are just right for one.

 

-Max

The gold really stands out with the use of grey pillars for framing. Its very bold.

This is my favorite of your concert pictures. The mood is relaxed and the lighting is controlled in a way that makes his face look 3D. I really like the use of low key here, as the black isolates the subject from the rest of the scene. Nice work.

 

-Max

The side lighting gives depth to the subject's face, but it doesn't quite capture the emotion I'd expect. Given the type of clothing the singer is wearing, I'm guessing the music being played is loud and intense. The tone the image gives out is calm and docile, but if that is the intended reaction, then good job with this. All other technical aspects of this photo are perfect.

To me this kind of looks like an over-applied noise filter, but it looks good. The watercolor look stands out from the myriad of "perfect" digital photos. I like seeing photos with personality.

This one is an interesting one. There is such detain in the clouds, and yet this is couples with the silhouettes of the trees. Spooky indeed and an exhibition of your skills. I'm very taken by this. My regards.

 

-Max

Nicely done silhouette. Only criticism is the empty space in most of the photo. A small amount of cropping might work well here, but then again it might take away from the feeling of isolation. Not much else to say, but good photo.

It just doesn't look like the spider belongs here, and that's a good thing. The perspective is completely erased giving it almost abstract like qualities. Very well done.

Lighting puts the focus on the busy student doing what we see everyday through the glass of Starbucks. So perfectly isolated and toned. My regards you.

 

-Max

Such strong and hostile sentiment emit from this photo. Eye contact strengthens this feeling and ends up sending chills down your spine.

There's some kind emotion that strikes me when I see this. I don't know if its sadness or what. The expression is so beautifully captures here, but remains a mystery to what it is. I also like your tones in this black and white as it makes this stand out from the rest of photos and gives this a personal style. Beautifully done.

Interesting... I'm guessing you took your camera along with you for the ride? The panning effect makes a nice abstract effect here.

I think this photo properly invokes the emotions of sorrow for the two dead and all the damage inflicted. The fire is distant and isolated, you feel like your watching it from the tower in the foreground.

Great job capturing the intensity of his concentration. It must have been dangerous to work on the battlefield to get a shot like this. I compliment you and other photojournalists who show us the real face of war.