Wedding B&W and Spot Color

[Jim Strathearn]

I've been beat up recently regarding my use of flash :wink: so I thought I'd post a natural light shot from my most recent wedding. I need to know if the B&W conversion is any good and if the spot color is any good as well. I have the critique icon on so don't hold back...

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[Uncle Frank]

It looks eerie when we light a face from below,

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That's because it doesn't fit with our expectations that light arrives from above. I think the same thing is true of white vignettes. I expect vignettes to be dark, and when they aren't, they strike me as "awkward" and artificial.

The b&w conversion looks fine. What method did you use?

And you did a neat job on the selective color, but the colored areas are large and very saturated. The colors distracted me from the subjects rather than enhancing them.

I hope you'll get some more comments now that the thread is bumped. These are subjective calls, and I may just be too conservative to appreciate the artistic stuff.

I've been beat up recently regarding my use of flash

Low level ambient light works just fine for boutique shooters trying for a couple of good shots at an event. But I've never met a pro wedding photographer who didn't use flash. It's the only way to harvest large quantities of high quality images in crappy light.

 

[preludeimages]

B&W looks good. I would maybe bump brightness up a hair. Lose the vignette. I am not sure about the selective color. You did a good job but my eye wants to jump back and forth between them. I think the decrease saturation point was a good one.

 

[Jim Strathearn]

Thanks UF. They were looking out of a doorway that is deep so there was no downward lighting. But I didn't think it was lit from below. Maybe there is some bounced lighting from the sidewalk... ???

I'll try a darker vignette as well.

I used the Channel Mixer in CS2 to convert to B&W. Sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn't...

I hear you about the flash but I have seen some great ambient light wedding shots lately. I realize that the bulk of my shots will certainly be flashed but I'm going to strive to get some keeper ambient light shots as well.

It looks eerie when we light a face from below,
The b&w conversion looks fine. What method did you use?

And you did a neat job on the selective color, but the colored areas are large and very saturated. The colors distracted me from the subjects rather than enhancing them.

I hope you'll get some more comments now that the thread is bumped. These are subjective calls, and I may just be too conservative to appreciate the artistic stuff.



Low level ambient light works just fine for boutique shooters trying for a couple of good shots at an event. But I've never met a pro wedding photographer who didn't use flash. It's the only way to harvest large quantities of high quality images in crappy light.

 

[Jim Strathearn]

B&W looks good. I would maybe bump brightness up a hair. Lose the vignette. I am not sure about the selective color. You did a good job but my eye wants to jump back and forth between them. I think the decrease saturation point was a good one.

Thanks Anthony. I'll decrease the saturation.

 

[Uncle Frank]

Thanks UF. They were looking out of a doorway that is deep so there was no downward lighting. But I didn't think it was lit from below. Maybe there is some bounced lighting from the sidewalk... ???

Jim, I was using the story and sample of a pictures lit from below to make the point about viewer expectations as related to vignettes. I didn't mean to suggest that your picture was lit from below. Sorry if I confused you.

 

[Jim Strathearn]

Sorry if I confused you.

LOL! As I'm sure you know by now, confusing me is not all that hard to do... :wink:

Are these more like what you'd expect?

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(Less saturated colors)

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[leahp26]

Hi Jim

I'm not the biggest fat of selective color but it seems to almost be a given that there will be one of the bouquet - I think you've done a nice job.

I agree with the other posters on the vignette - black is better, white feels a little dated to me. I would try a more subtle vignette rather than an almost matted feel. The large vignettes also seem a little dated to me.

 

[BarkisPhoto]

Hi, Jim -- I'm on the fence with the vignette: the original (white) one worked fine for me -- although I would perhaps make it larger so not to impinge upon the subjects so much. The black vignette also looks nice (although again too "tight" around the couple, IMHO).

Makes one wonder whether the image might perhaps be better without vignette, but instead with slight edge-darkening??? YMMV, of course...

Best Regards,

 

[Jim Strathearn]

The large vignettes also seem a little dated to me.

That's most likely because I'm pretty dated myself... :biggrin:

Thanks for looking!

 

[Jim Strathearn]

Makes one wonder whether the image might perhaps be better without vignette, but instead with slight edge-darkening??? YMMV, of course...

Best Regards,

Thanks John!

Here is the original pic:

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[Seneca]

The selective color works good in that image.

 

[Jim Strathearn]

The selective color works good in that image.

Thanks Seneca! :wink:

 

[cajun angel]

I happen to really like the selective color you did, the way you did both photos is beautiful to me! And I"ll admit I like natural lighting too- I"m not good at using flash. Got more?:smile:

 

[Jim Strathearn]

I happen to really like the selective color you did, the way you did both photos is beautiful to me! And I"ll admit I like natural lighting too- I"m not good at using flash. Got more?:smile:

Thanks Dianne! I'll try to post a few more... :wink:

 

[leifw]

For what's supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, they look morbidly somber.

 

[gurlzrok]

I think the suggestion to go darker with the vignette is a good one, but not too much. Just touch on the corners a bit.

I like the toned down color select best of the two. You did a good job on this. I don't do color select unless my bride specifically requests it (which some still do). I guess it is my but it just got to be so "gichy" and I was tired of seeing it everywhere.

 

[Jim Strathearn]

For what's supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, they look morbidly somber.

LOL! I guess that's one way of looking at it...

I guess you didn't see this one:

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[Jim Strathearn]

I think the suggestion to go darker with the vignette is a good one, but not too much. Just touch on the corners a bit.

I like the toned down color select best of the two. You did a good job on this. I don't do color select unless my bride specifically requests it (which some still do). I guess it is my but it just got to be so "gichy" and I was tired of seeing it everywhere.

Thanks Cindy. The bride specifically asked for B&W, Sepia and spot colored shots.

 

[leifw]

LOL! I guess that's one way of looking at it...

I guess you didn't see this one:

And now they look angry! :biggrin: