A very nice image you have presented here Bill. The tonality is absolutely wonderful (care to share your techinque/tool?). I like the composition and subject. The brightness of the awning to the left and behind the horses is distracting but isn't overly detrimental.
Very nice capture. It does not have that overbearing gray tone. There are enough darker gray tones and vibrant highlight to make it a realistic BW photo. The shot is a bit too clean looking though.
Thanks. Yes I did edit it with the intention of looking a bit cleaner than most B&W's. For some reason it appealed to my eye that way. As far a technique I used the B&W converter in Photoshop CS3. I then used multiple layers and masks to lighten specific areas of the photo, and then sharpened the bejesus out of it. I really wanted the horses faces and expressions to stand out.
The processing is excellent, and yes a clean look. I am fine with it, but could readily accept the argument that it does not fit the historical subject.
Nice comp.
Scott
