Mono Fox

[Lepus]

I know it`s a bit busy with all the long grasses , but I thought it rather typical of where you would see a fox looking for small mammals , the light was very bright and harsh , and the whites were suffering , but I thought I would have a go at rescuing and black and white seemed to be a good solution . I don`t think it turned out to bad , what do you peeps think ?

Mono Fox by Mark Powter, on Flickr

[Tigger]

Re: Mono Fox

I really like that and it works well mono

[Trev B]

Re: Mono Fox

I think it's great Mark. I see foxes almost everyday and this is the typical way you see them

[tesarver]

Re: Mono Fox

Nice detail on ears well focused

Tom

[Lepus]

Re: Mono Fox

Thanks Ian , Tom and Trev , much appreciated .

[EOS_User]

Re: Mono Fox

Hi Mark; I quite like this, but I feel it needs a little help... Tonally it's quite flat across the image and the fox doesn't really stand out... I'd suggest two 'enhancements' (IMO); Lighten the whole image; then mask off the fox so he stays darker; then, add some more contrast to foxy. I had a quick play and it looked way better to my eye... Ignore, of course, as you see fit

[Lepus]

Re: Mono Fox

Thanks Lee , I don`t do many mono conversions , and I am sure your enhancements will have improved it . I do struggle to get my head round layers and masks and stuff , perhaps one day , at present I am still not over keen on to many enhancements , to much of it and it looses the picture you took in the first place .

[Coolcat]

Re: Mono Fox

Looking good

[pelliott1954]

Re: Mono Fox

I like it anyway, I don't worry too much about grass obstructing, it's real, it's there and you are capturing reality

Regards Paul

[Stan]

Re: Mono Fox

not keen on wildlife in mono unless the colours are more or less black and white to start with. That aside, for a mono conversion to work you need a good range of tones from dark to light ( one of the things I learnt years ago when doing an open university course) and not like with this one, most of the tones being in the middle

Stan

[Lepus]

Re: Mono Fox

Thanks for all the further comments and critique , it`s good to get the varied opinions .

[EOS_User]

Re: Mono Fox

Thanks Lee , I don`t do many mono conversions , and I am sure your enhancements will have improved it . I do struggle to get my head round layers and masks and stuff , perhaps one day , at present I am still not over keen on to many enhancements , to much of it and it looses the picture you took in the first place .

Hi Mark;

I'm sure that all of us would rather not have to spend time post-processing, and if we strive to get things right in-camera we can certainly reduce that time; but I see no point in spending several thousand pounds on high-quality kit if we're not prepared to make that effort to maximise the potential of a shot...

What I suggested would take a matter of seconds and is not at all difficult.

As it happens I like monochrome wildlife images. I have a number in my collection, including one of a fox (which you can see here if you wish). Many of the world's top wildlife photographers shoot specifically for monochrome imaging...

It's always worth doing a quick mono conversion to see if it's going to work, but few images do, unless you have set out to achieve a mono shot; it's a different state of mind. As Stan says more adequately than I initially did, you need a full tonal range to give a mono image a punch. Flat tones don't work...

Anyhow that's my bit done; as usual - ignore as you wish - no offence meant and none will be taken