Consider this a series, of sorts, of "shooting into the light": contre-jour, back-light. I won't speak of processing because most people are not so interested in the high-contrast look, with compressed shadows, that I often do. I'll just say that I always find I get better results with Silver Efex than I do with Lightroom and VSCO and Replichrome: generally, for B&W, whether processing M-Monochrom or M9 files, I start by using Lightroom, then trying some VSCO or Replichrome profiles to see the general look I want; then I process the image in Silver Efex with some final adjustments in Lightroom.
The second picture below has the same type of light as the first. But note that the third is shot with my favorite 50mm lens by far, the DR-Summicron. That's why I also included the last photo, despite having posted it in this thread before, as it shows how the DR-Summicron draws. The other 50mm lens that I love is the Summiux-50 pre-ASPH, which, for be blows away the Summiux-50 ASPH.
Having gotten started in this "shooting into the light" caper, I think I'll continue to post more along this line, mainly images that took previously but that I am now reprocessing — continuing in B&W and then posting some color contre-jour images. Also, I've been reprocessing some M-Monochrom photos from Sri Lanka: I'm thinking of posting the entire series of 30-odd pix here in, say, four posts. But haven't yet made up my mind.
M-Monochrom | Summicron-28 | ISO 320 | f/4.0 | 1/1500 sec Paris
Mitch Alland wrote:
Consider this a series, of sorts, of "shooting into the light": contre-jour, back-light. I won't speak of processing because most people are not so interested in the high-contrast look, with compressed shadows, that I often do. I'll just say that I always find I get better results with Silver Efex than I do with Lightroom and VSCO and Replichrome: generally, for B&W, whether processing M-Monochrom or M9 files, I start by using Lightroom, then trying some VSCO or Replichrome profiles to see the general look I want; then I process the image in Silver Efex with some final adjustments in Lightroom.
The second picture below has the same type of light as the first. But note that the third is shot with my favorite 50mm lens by far, the DR-Summicron. That's why I also included the last photo, despite having posted it in this thread before, as it shows how the DR-Summicron draws. The other 50mm lens that I love is the Summiux-50 pre-ASPH, which, for be blows away the Summiux-50 ASPH.
Having gotten started in this "shooting into the light" caper, I think I'll continue to post more along this line, mainly images that took previously but that I am now reprocessing — continuing in B&W and then posting some color contre-jour images. Also, I've been reprocessing some M-Monochrom photos from Sri Lanka: I'm thinking of posting the entire series of 30-odd pix here in, say, four posts. But haven't yet made up my mind.
I remember seeing that last photo before. I really liked it then. And I really like it now.
Come to think about it. The few times I've played with SilverEfex I've gotten great BW results. I just never have the time or energy to work with BW files. I'm the type of person who loves looking at other peoples black and white work. But hates his own. I think it's like value for money. I feel as if I am "loosing something" if I convert from color to black and white.. Man I've been living in Asian to long :P
Just a test shot using the MM246 and APO-Cron 50. What a combination. This is at ISO 800, f2. It's as clean and sharp as my M240+Summilux 50 1.4 ASPH at ISO 200, f8. I really did not expect to be so enthralled by the Monochrom.
adamdewilde wrote:
[...I remember seeing that last photo before. I really liked it then. And I really like it now.
Come to think about it. The few times I've played with SilverEfex I've gotten great BW results. I just never have the time or energy to work with BW files. I'm the type of person who loves looking at other peoples black and white work. But hates his own. I think it's like value for money. I feel as if I am "loosing something" if I convert from color to black and white.. Man I've been living in Asian to long :P
Adam, Thanks for the kind words. In my view there is a great advantage in the M-Monochrom: when you're using it you simply have to think in terms of B&W — once I started using it I didn't want to shoot B&W with the M9, as I don't like the feeling on having to decide with some images whether to process them for color or N&W. Because my M-Monochrom now has some severe sensor corrosion (for the second time), I been shooting some B&W with my M9-P, which also had sensor corrosion twice, but in October I go the permanent sensor replacement, a solution that I'm waiting for for my M-Monochrom.
Judging by your obvious skill with color files, I doubt that you could not develop a way of efficiently processing B&W. Last February, I linked the following video clip that could be the basis for easy processing files with Silver Efex with a consistency in terms of the look. The clip shows the method this photographer uses for XT-1 files and for producing an extreme high-contrast look, but it can of course be tuned for the M-Monochrom or M9 or M240 or SL and for a lower contrast look. For example, I use the Tri-X preset rather than the TMax 400 used in the clip — and I usually don't apply the Silver Efex grain setting. The basic idea of flattening the original file that you put into Silver Efex is very good. In a production situation, as for wedding photography, you could make several presets for different types of lighting and contrast situations.
@airfrogusmc (Allen): I generally find that I get better results with Silver Efex than I do with Lightroom, or that I used to get in Photoshop: better gradation, particularly better highlights — and more control over them. Also, Silver Efex adds an element of "randomness" — maybe "contingency" is a better word for this — in the way processing and printing film does and, therefore, in my view, yields more interesting results. However, I usually make final tonal adjustments or selective dodging and burning in Lightroom
Sold one of my 5DIIs and my Canon 200 2L. In the process of dumping all of my Canon gear. Will hopefully be all Leica, even for my commercial work, by late spring.
I'm doing the same thing. Decided to consolidate entirely with Leica. Based on the M240 / MP / M4-P and a trio of Summicrons. All I need / want.
Shoot the Noctilux this morning, the thin layer of snow created a nice reflector. Last one is inspired by Mitch recent "shooting into the light" posts sh cheers Mitch . MM-246 and 0.95 Noctilux.
You'll never guess who did the big portrait of him thats on wall? I was over there with him earlier today. Great show
Can't get the link to work sorry. Copy and past it into you browser.
Its in the big gallery on the 9th floor.
Heres what the link says
HWLC Exhibit: Straight into the Camera
December 7, 2015
See Straight into the Camera: David Gremp's Chicago, 1978-79 on exhibit December 12 through May 15 in the Special Collections Exhibit Hall on the 9th floor of Harold Washington Library Center.
In 1978 David Gremp began photographing Chicago neighborhoods. As an artist-in-residence with the Chicago Council on Fine Arts, he was appointed to work with Chicago Public Library in specified branches and the neighborhoods they served.
Free to select his own approach to the project, Gremp decided to let his subjects choose their poses and “…asked them to look straight into the camera.” In these photographs, the viewer is confronted and greeted by Chicagoans where they lived, played and worked.
joakim wrote:
...Last one is inspired by Mitch recent "shooting into the light" posts sh cheers Mitch
Hej Joakim, Naturligtvis är den sista bäst. (Obviously the last one is best).
Here are four photos from Sri Lanka that I shot two years ago, and have now re-processed with Silver Efex using the method described in my last post. The first two are shooting into the light; the last two are example of getting better texture and gradation with Silver Efex than I was able to with Lightroom. Incidentally, I think that the first picture is also an examine of how Silver Efex can produce film-like highlight gradation.
