Friday, March 2, 2012

Photo Friday #6

Creating a dynamic black and white photo!  That's our challenge for today!  Many people turn to black and whites as their "cop out" for making a bad picture 'okay.'  Don't worry, I will be the first to admit it!!  However, creating an interesting, dynamic Black and White photo is more than just pressing the BW button in Lightroom, it's about creating depth in your photo.  A one dimensional picture is just boring but when you add the layers of shadows and light, that is when the magic happens. 

 Let's take a look!  Each of my "before" pictures are straight out of the camera.  The only thing I did was import them into Lightroom and press the BW button....




Before.....


After.....
 See the difference?!  By enhacing the shadows and the light you have a much more defined picture!

ISO 200, 1/3200sec at f/1.4, 50mm 1.4 lens



Before.....



After....
I love how you can see the dimension throught each curl!!  Stunning.....
ISO 200, 1/1250sec at f/1.4, 50mm 1.4 lens



Before.....


After.....
Max wishes he could have a bite!!  And yes that is our dirty table!!  Don't judge!  We have a 2 year old for goodness sake!!!

 
ISO 200, 1/200sec at f/2.8, 50mm 1.4 lens



Before.....


After....
ISO 2000, 1/400sec at f/1.4, 50mm 1.4 lens



Before....

After...
Here, I played with the differnt hues.  You can really alter the look of a BW photo by doing that!
ISO 200, 1/3200sec at f/1.4, 50mm 1.4 lens



Before.....


After.....
I love the Sepia, "golden" look here.....
ISO 800, 1/160sec at f/2.8, 50mm 1.4 lens



Before....


After.....
Love the expression, Love how the coloring enhances her eyes....
ISO 1000, 1/200sec at f/1.4, 50mm 1.4 lens


To edit the "after" pictures I started with the Lightroom BW presets!!  There are a TON to choose from!  Once I found one that I was happy with, I then altered the exposure, brightness, blacks, luminance, and hues.  It really makes a difference if you take a few minutes to create depth in your photo! 




15 comments:

  1. Great edits...your daughter is adorable!

    Tiffany

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  2. Jess...these really are stunning. I LOVE the one of your daughter on the bridge!! It doesn't hurt you have such a gorgeous model ;) Have a great weekend!

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  3. These are just lovely, especially the one on the bridge!

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  4. Well done- I love how you made the come to life. It really does make all the difference.

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  5. Wonderful edits! I love the one with the dog at the table, too funny!

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  6. Stopping by from Show Off Your Shot, great BW photos!

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  7. Beauitful shots!

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  8. Beautiful photos! I love the second photo...stunning perspective and the drama added by the black and white is amazing. Thank you for sharing! I have a link up called Tones on Tuesday that I would love if you joined!

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  9. These photos are just darling! I love how you edited them to really bring out the details.

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  10. your baby is gorgeous
    lovely photos!

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  11. wow these are great edits! It makes such a difference! I love the little girl on the bridge--great shot!!

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  12. great edits. I love playing with the blacks slider in lightroom.

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  13. Nice shots and I like the changes you made in Lightroom. My favorite is the one on the bridge!

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  14. Beautiful! I'm just learning lightroom--I will have to try this out :)

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