Digital still images development

[CarlZand]

Hello, Roger.

I´m an amateur street photographer, moved basically by intuiton. I use an old digital camera (Lumix LX100 14 mp). It is a small camera that usually goes unnoticed, but, I have ethical issues and most of the time (I am not a shy person) ask for permission for certain kinds of shots. I think that I heard you said that you process your images in Photoshop. I use Lightroom, wich is most familiar to me, on a basic level. I recently upgraded my camera to a Sony a6400, also an APSC sensor. I am not a very technical person, but I know enough to make an image that works for me. I have not used this new camera because I am waiting for a prime 30 mm 1.4 lens to use it with; that lens, for what I understand is the equivalent of a 40-45 mm on a full frame sensor. Sorry for the long digression. What I am asking, is, what suggestion you can give me, if you are so kind, as to how to consider when converting the color RAW images to B & W? I live in one of the most dangerous cities in the world: Culiacán, Sinaloa in México, so I walk the streets with caution nowadays. But I admire your still images very much and I appretiate your forums and conversations. Thank you again, and wish you the best.

Topic

[dmullenasc]

In Lightroom, I’d first convert the raw file to color because then you can first control the luminance of a color channel before conversion to b&w, such as darkening the blues to make a sky darker to simulate an orange or red filter before turning it to b&w.

Lightroom also has a number of b&w profiles that do something similar, it’s just that they don’t say what is involved (I think it’s b&w profile #7 that is like using a red filter.)

Here is a Nikon raw file I opened up in Lightroom with no corrections:

This is selecting B&W Profile #7:

• This reply was modified 1 month, 3 weeks ago by dmullenasc.

[dmullenasc]

Here is a different approach. First is the straight color photo converted from raw with just some auto adjustments to contrast, etc.

Here is a b&w version where I first darkened the blue channel, then I isolated the sky and added some Dehaze, then I turned it straight to b&w without using an Adobe Profile (plus I added some grain):

[CarlZand]

Thank you. It really means a lot.

Those are striking images. The best to you.

[Author]

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