B&W Conversion

What makes a great black and white image?  To me it is a combination of several different things. First you need a clearly defined subject.  In the photograph below the subject is isolated by a blurred, simple background.  If you have a situation where you have a busy scene, use a long lens and a larger aperture to create the separation of subject and background.  Second you need contrast.  The transition of highlight to shadow on Alex draws your attention to his face.  The last part ties in with the first.  The subject should be limited.  Too many subjects in a single image can be distracting.  I'm not saying that a large family portrait on a plain background doesn't work.  I'm talking about having so many elements in the image that the main focus isn't clearly defined.

I never shoot an image in black and white even if I intend the final output to be B&W.  Why would I do that when many cameras have a setting for black and white?  The easy answer is if you shoot in B&W or a selective color you are stuck with that.  There is no way to recover the color information that your camera didn't save.  When I convert my images to B&W I use the B&W layer adjustment (most of the time, sometimes I use plugins).  Here is where having the color information available is key.  When you apply the B&W adjustment layer you have lighten/darken sliders for all the different colors.  Many times if I want to lighten skin to give it that nice light look I'll lighten reds and yellows.  You can also use the color sliders to help isolate your subject.

Playing with the sliders can greatly change the overall look of the final image.  Even though it takes a little more time to convert an image I think the final output is well worth the time.  You have that little bit of extra control to make the image look just how you want it to.

Below is my son Alex engrossed in some activity.  I love candid pictures of children.  They convey so much emotion without even being aware of it.  It is these times that people don't normally think of having their camera out.  Some of my favorite images of my son were taken at times when he was unaware that his picture was being taken.