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Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

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    Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

    OK - Firstly, apologies if this is wrong category (I am now thinking that brianvickers was on to something in his discussion about a critique section now in his "no comment" thread as this would fit in there nicely) .

    I am actually looking here for critique and in particular reference to the B&W technique / how far to take the B&W please.

    This is an old photo (2014) and we are having a "for fun" photo competition at work with the subject "Holidays" (no rules on when picture taken) and I thought nothing screams holidays to me more than a beach full of loungers and parasols but I wanted to do something different with it and therefore took all colour saturation out except blue to give the second picture below (the first being the full colour version).

    I wasnt happy with the second, so decided to purely highlight only the blue parasols and loungers - thus removed the colour from the sea / sky (picture 3 below).

    Personally I prefer to the 3rd picture but my wife prefers the second with the sky / sea still blue as well.

    I am looking for opinions please and advice on whether this works or not and if not, how could I improve it - or just leave it as colour?

    Thank you in advance and please any and all comments most welcome - I will not be offended at all by any constructive criticism - if you dont think it works or dont like it please say (it may make me rethink my entry LOL).

    1. Full colour version:

    1385 by Andy Jeffree, on Flickr

    2. Removed saturation only from all colours (except blue) in Lightroom only. (wife's favourite)

    Holiday-1385 by Andy Jeffree, on Flickr

    3. Edited in Photoshop - converted to a B&W - then painstakingly only allowed loungers and parasols blue to come through (using layers and eraser).(my favourite)

    Holidays by Andy Jeffree, on Flickr


    or should I go full B&W?

    Sincere thanks everyone for looking.
    Andy
    Canon 700D, Canon 1100D
    EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM, EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II, EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, EF 50mm F/1.8 II
    [Wishlist: EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro]

    #2
    Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

    I think I am with you Andy, voting for the third one.

    • First one, nice enough, but very much the standard shot.


    • Second one, still "could" be as is, plenty of beaches with grey sand and grey stone.


    • Third one, the photographer has obviously gone the extra mile, done something different and made the shot unique.
    Colin

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

      I prefer the second as it is different and between the full colour of the first and a standardish colour pop of the third

      Stan
      Stan - LRPS, CPAGB, BPE2*

      http://neptuno-photography.foliopic.com/
      flickr

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

        Thanks Colin and Stan.

        Interesting to see a split opinion with two valid reasons for liking either and a relief to me in a way that it wasn't a "it doesn't work Andy, go back to the drawing board and try again" LOL.
        Andy
        Canon 700D, Canon 1100D
        EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM, EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II, EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, EF 50mm F/1.8 II
        [Wishlist: EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro]

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

          There are two thoughts on Color Popping a BW image. The Purest would tell you that you never pop a color on a BW image, then there are us moderates that find Color popping as a way to accent a particular subject and draw the viewer to the subject.

          So if your subject is the blue parasols and loungers then image 3 is the image and the one that I would pick of the 3. The 2nd image takes the viewer away from the blue parasols and loungers and moves it more to the sky and the sea and the slight green on the palm trees has the view focus more on the hotel property and not the beach and the blue parasols and loungers

          Tom

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

            Thanks Tom. Much appreciated thoughts.


            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
            Andy
            Canon 700D, Canon 1100D
            EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM, EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II, EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, EF 50mm F/1.8 II
            [Wishlist: EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro]

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

              interesting shots Andy. I suppose as photographers we are always looking for something a little different other than just another point and click shot. Often when on holidays its the best we can hope for with partners wanting to move on and find another place, where as we would like to wait for the golden hours LOL... In this case we are often left looking at trying to create something and I think in the 2nd & 3rd shots you've done that well. Of the 2 I do prefer the colour pop, but I like to push processing limits, which isn't for everyone
              :- Ian

              5D Mk III, 24-105 / 70-200 f2.8 L / 100-400 Mk II / 100 macro / 16-35 L / 11-24 L / 1.4 & 2x converters and a bad back carrying it all ;o)

              :- https://www.flickr.com/photos/fotosespana/

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

                Thanks Tigger. Much appreciated.


                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
                Andy
                Canon 700D, Canon 1100D
                EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM, EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II, EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, EF 50mm F/1.8 II
                [Wishlist: EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro]

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

                  As you have invited opinion, my preference is 1, 3, 2. I recognise the effort required to pop (3 must have taken ages!) but, for me, pops work best when there is either a single pop or a very small number of them.

                  In this instance I would like to see complete mono conversion with some atmosphere or nostalgia - the image has potential but the pops don’t work for me. Purely subjective of course and apologies for not enthusing.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

                    In terms of preference, I would also go 1,3,2. I agree with Tom in that colour popping works best on a single item to draw attention to it.

                    John

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

                      I keep looking at these Andy and I'm still not sure. Purely for a fun photo competition at work I'd present the third; hopefully it'll be a bit different to what your colleagues present. If I was choosing one to keep on an Ipad to show family members with other holiday images I'd go for..........no...........still not sure
                      - Tony

                      6D Mk II, 17-40 F4/L 4 USM, 24-105 F4/L 4 IS USM

                      www.premiumpics.co.uk

                      Flickr

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

                        If you want your image to stand out amongst the others, it has to be No. 3
                        John Liddle

                        Backwell, North Somerset - "Where the cider apples grow"

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

                          I like the third, but I myself would fade the blue of the seats etc as they progress into the distance until they are black and white by the end.

                          3. Edited in Photoshop - converted to a B&W - then painstakingly only allowed loungers and parasols blue to come through (using layers and eraser).(my favourite)
                          Out of interest can you not do the same in Lightroom by simple sliding all the colour saturation, hue and the others down to zero without touching the blue? Then do the same with the blue on a copy for the sky and water and merge them?
                          Last edited by TonyT; 11-10-2017, 15:01.
                          Canon 1DX, 50D, EF500 F4.0 L, EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L I , EF100-400 f/4.5-5.6L II, EF70-200 f/2.8L II, EF180 f3.5L Macro, EF 24-105 f/4L, EF17-40 f/4L, EF2.0X III, EF1.4X III, 430EX II, MR-14EX...

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

                            The other option is to make it all mono ......except just one blue parasol in blue....?

                            might be more powerful.
                            Brian Vickers LRPS

                            brianvickersphotography.com

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Please help - "Holidays" partial B&W advice required.

                              Oh boy, many thanks for all the opinions, its giving me something to think about. It is only a fun competition, but hey - we all want to win whenever entering anything, BUT and I stress the BUT, this technique is something I am not sure with AND wanted to try and learn about - especially now that I am picking the camera back up.



                              In direct response to some comments:



                              Originally posted by Enigma View Post
                              Purely subjective of course and apologies for not enthusing.


                              No problem at all, I knew it wouldnt be everyones cup of tea so to speak, hence canvassing for opinions and critique. For all I know, the judges may be of the same opinion.

                              Originally posted by Swanny48 View Post
                              colour popping works best on a single item to draw attention to it.


                              Thanks John - yes getting that impression - so will have to consider my options here.

                              Originally posted by Tony Hawkins View Post
                              If I was choosing one to keep on an Ipad to show family members with other holiday images I'd go for..........no...........still not sure


                              It never made it to the iPad to show family members LOL. When I took it, back in 2014, I liked the rows and rows of empty loungers all "uniformally" set out and thought that might make quite an artistic photograph, so fiddled about taking straight lines, diagonal pictures etc - not too many in case the topless lady in the middle decided to complain but just so I could go back and see if it worked.

                              Its not meant as a holiday snap to me, but a subject - that yes may not work, but for the purpose of this fun competition I just want to be totally different to what other people might submit under the heading "Holiday".

                              Originally posted by TonyT View Post
                              I like the third, but I myself would fade the blue of the seats etc as they progress into the distance until they are black and white by the end.





                              Out of interest can you not do the same in Lightroom by simple sliding all the colour saturation, hue and the others down to zero without touching the blue? Then do the same with the blue on a copy for the sky and water and merge them?


                              Thanks for the comment - good idea about fading it but also the single item ideas are a possibility.

                              Re Lightroom - I am not sure - I have the LR / PS photography package, so whilst number 2 was all the sliders down to 0 except the blue in LR, number 3 was that picture then exported to PS - a copy of the layer made - that layer converted to B&W - then the "blue first layer" put back on top and used the eraser to then remove anything that was blue that wasnt a parasol or lounger. The sky was easy - one big cut off the top of the picture sorted that out and also one big deleted selection of the sea - but then when it came to erasing around the parasols that stick up into the sea- was the time consuming bit but not too bad.

                              Originally posted by brianvickers View Post
                              The other option is to make it all mono ......except just one blue parasol in blue....?

                              might be more powerful.


                              I do like this idea, but will also consider doing 1 parasol and 1 lounger next to it as well.


                              Again though many thanks everyone, its certainly a learning curve for me this and all comments are very much appreciated and have been taken on board to be considered.


                              Andy

                              PS: if anyone zoomed in to find the topless lady, she has been edited out.
                              Last edited by Bhuna; 11-10-2017, 16:26.
                              Andy
                              Canon 700D, Canon 1100D
                              EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS USM, EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II, EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, EF 50mm F/1.8 II
                              [Wishlist: EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro]

                              Comment

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