# advice on black n white



## ls6firebird (Dec 25, 2010)

ive been playin with a few pictures i took of my car. one taillight is slightly darker than the other one which is driving me crazy haha. anyway, i made it a black and white so it wouldnt be as noticeable. im a beginner with photography so i was just wondering what too look for in a good black and white. this is what i have so far. any tips, advice, and opinions would be greatly appreciated. thanks!


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## Frequency (Dec 25, 2010)

Good shot

Regards


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## Fender5388 (Dec 25, 2010)

Frequency said:


> Good shot
> 
> Regards



why? not ripping on you just saying he wants to know what to look for in a good B&W and "good shot" doesn't mean much without a reason behind it.

IMO it just looks like another picture of a car; nothing really special, but im not really a fan of car photos. i do like to firebird though haha. 

to me in a black and white i look for good dark blacks and good bright whites that aren't totally blown out. with a good range of grays in between. i tend to like alot of contrast in B&w's. hope that helped a little!


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## ls6firebird (Dec 25, 2010)

thanks frequency!

fender: thanks for the tips! dont worry i got thick skin haha, that was what i was lookin for. i understand ya on the car photos. i can see where they would be boring to someone whos not into cars. i started takin pictures of the car as i added different things to it, and it really got me hooked on photography. 

thanks again guys!


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## vinithbraj (Dec 25, 2010)

It also seems like the image is not sharp, or was it meant to be that way ?


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## Fender5388 (Dec 25, 2010)

ls6firebird said:


> thanks frequency!
> 
> fender: thanks for the tips! dont worry i got thick skin haha, that was what i was lookin for. i understand ya on the car photos. i can see where they would be boring to someone whos not into cars. i started takin pictures of the car as i added different things to it, and it really got me hooked on photography.
> 
> thanks again guys!



hahayea man i got you! i got hooked because of bmx, but im sure not everyone enjoys looking a guys riding bikes haha. Keep at it, its a blast


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## ls6firebird (Dec 25, 2010)

vinithbraj said:


> It also seems like the image is not sharp, or was it meant to be that way ?


 
hah. the image is a fine example of lack of photography skills and using photobucket to edit the picture. im going to get photoshop this next week. then i have a long road of learning, workin on taking better pictures, and tryin to pick up what i can on here lol


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## ls6firebird (Dec 25, 2010)

Fender5388 said:


> ls6firebird said:
> 
> 
> > thanks frequency!
> ...


 
right on. yea photography seems like it can add a whole new way of enjoying a hobby


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## ls6firebird (Dec 25, 2010)

ok ive been practicing a little. its starting to make sense, i just need to work on actually applying it lol. im workin on getting the dark blacks to contrast the lights. if i go any farther, it starts to get that blown out look. 











the second one seems like it could use some lighter shades to me, but i dunno haha, somethin seems off. im not really liking the picture as a whole.


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## daarksun (Dec 25, 2010)

It can be particulary difficult to do b&w with a main subject is that is black, as with the pontiac.  I am in agreement with Fender in liking more contrast. I like the darks and brighter whites in an image. 

for you shooting the Firebird you start at a disadvantage. Any contrast ajustment can turn the car into an inkblot while the rest of the image looks great or the pontiac looks good and the rest washed out. 

with photoshop you'll be able to create some masks to help with this issue. I suggest looking into elements as well. The ability to stitch images and adjust highlights is very useful. 

Keep taking photo and working on it. I like the direction your heading.


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## ls6firebird (Dec 25, 2010)

thanks! yea thats pretty much how it went. the car was either an inkblot or the light colors were way to bright. the car being black is a challenge all around haha. ive seemed to have best luck with it around sunrise or sunset.


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