B&W - help needed

[Downrigger]

This is a monochrome result of a shot of some rocky west shoreline of a frozen Lake Champlain, lookin east towards Vermont on a bright, but hazy day. I'd like some critique on how I shot and processed this. The out-of camera is shown as well. Thanks to anyone who has some ideas as to how I could have made a better image.

[Shadowman]

Hi Mark,

There are a lot of things you could have done differently but I don't see anything wrong with what you have here. For starters though, and it isn't really necessary; you could have given the image a title then the viewer would know what it is you are trying to convey.

[Mike Buckley]

I really like the conversion, the texture in the snow where it exists and the soft, undulating shadows where the texture doesn't exist.

I'm having a difficult time determining the subject; is it the large mound on the right, the foreground material or the opening providing a view of the lake between the two land formations? For one solution to that issue, try making a square crop that includes everything on the left side from top to bottom. Doing so makes the subject that gorgeous opening, which is enhanced by the interesting foreground.

[Wavelength]

Well done; it looks like an ice cream

[Downrigger]

Binnur, thanks. It does!
Mike - I think your idea is great... oddly it explains to me what was dimly in my awareness, that I liked about the scene in general. Eye/conceptualization still not quite there for me. I've experimented with that now and like it, and will post a revision once I hear if there are any more worthy suggestions. It really helps, and in which case, John, with thanks, the title might be "opening"

[Geoff F]

I assume the small thumbnail is the original. Well personally I prefer that one. Although maybe a slight crop from the left side and bottom plus a very small adjustment to the brightness.

For me, the extra brightness in the edit has lost detail in some places. It should be possible with a little masking to selectively add just a fraction on the highlights without any detail loss.

But maybe it is the monochrome effect which has caused a little texture loss?

[Brownbear]

Hi Mark,

I like this image, and moving it around in the light box to make a square crop as suggested by Mike also looks very nice to me.

I also like the original with the beautiful blue sky, perhaps a little more than the edit because of the beautiful colours and the path to the icy bridge.

[Mike Buckley]

For me, the monochrome version is far superior overall to the color version.

[Downrigger]

Thanks, everyone. Split decision on color/monochrome so here both are, with an attempt at Mike's fine suggestion on crop. I appreciate your comments and suggestions very much.

[Downrigger]

And, the color:

[Geoff F]

Having downloaded the original to view on my better screen, I still like the idea of just a subtle edit to make the most of those muted colours.

So I would produce something more like this. Although maybe the shadows could be fractionally darker.



I tried a monochrome version of this edit as well, which looked OK to me.

But this is the sort of scene which everybody will see slightly differently.

[Mike Buckley]

Mark,

When you cropped the image, you also made other changes that lost the detail in the snow. As a result, the foreground material is less interesting. My choice would be to use everything as is in the first photo except use the crop of the second photo.

[FootLoose]

I agree with Mike, I prefer the tones in the first monochrome. It looks like you boosted the brightness in the revised version and have sacrificed the foreground detail.

[Brownbear]

I adore the B&W crop with the original tones in the B&W, and I also adore Geoff's colour version likely a personal preference for the softer blues.

[Downrigger]

I agree with you all, now that you have pointed me to the problem. I find brightness very hard to judge in processing B&W. Mike's suggestion is an easy fix. Thank you all for yeoman duty on this one!

[IzzieK]

Mark I like the first version and the edit of Geoff is nice. I agree with Nandakumar that it looks like ice cream...

[Downrigger]

I learned a great deal from this exercise, owed to the several helpful suggestions. I like this better now. The first is simply as Mike suggested - I cropped the initial black and white. In the second, I started over from the original RAW, cropped, then re-processed entirely to explore the matter of shadows and structure again, and toned for winter. I think it's a toss up. Thanks again, all.

[Downrigger]

[Mike Buckley]

I'm going to continue to be difficult. Both revisions are very nice but they are so nice in different ways that I ache to see one image that is the best of both images. I prefer everything except the sky in the second photo because the increased drama works very well with the scene. You lost some detail in the sky in the second one that is so pleasing in the first one; the lighter area of the sky leads the eye to the opening between the two land formations. If you could combine both of those characteristics in one image, it would be even better for me than the two very nice images you already have.

[Downrigger]

Difficult is fine. It is a complement of a special kind when folks take the time and energy to pitch in. The "detail" in the original was slightly brush enhanced. I have put this back in the second version of the pair above, and eliminated the noise and D600 spots. I also warmed it just a tiny bit. I think this is ready for an optimized and distinguished obscurity in my galleries. Thanks for all the time and thought, Mike.