B&W Sample

Peter H · Jan 1, 2001

Filtered with Nic Sharpener and SilverOxide FP4. Critique welcome!

Mihai Marinescu · Jan 1, 2001

Very nice potrait !

What´s the pictures settings ? (Post the exif info)

Mihai

Sal Giambruno29587 · Jan 2, 2001

Gorgeous shot, Peter. The B&W is excellent, the model is outstanding, everything else is perfect!

Daniel Lauring · Jan 2, 2001

I like it very much. Just one more example that children don't need to be smiling for good shots.

Danny

Bill Wilson · Jan 2, 2001

Nice lighting. Where do you get NIC Sharpener? Is it really that much better than PS 6.0?

Peter H · Jan 2, 2001

You are too kind. The model is my 7 year old daughter, Harriet.

With such beautiful examples that I see here I was a little hesitant so I must come clean as to why I posted the shot.

I am not normally swayed by such trivia, but there was a piece of advice in my horoscope in a daily newspaper (spotted by my wife I hasten to add!!). It was along the lines that a picture of my kids should be entered into a photo competition and that it would have a profound affect on my life!! As I spend a great deal of time taking pictures of my kids and playing around with them on my computer my wife thought this was advice I should follow.

I know that this forum is not a competition, but as it is seen widely I thought, hey, why not post it, you never know your luck. Fortune favours the brave!!

Sal, I saw your posting about the photographer who tried to get access your knowledge in a rather deceptive way. Take it as a compliment. There was a pro, asking for your advice. I would take heart and look at doing what she was offering, i.e. instant results, but use your skill and equipement to do it better. As they say, don't get mad get even!.

Steve Clements29589 · Jan 2, 2001

Peter,

That lighting is to die for. Great effort. Those eyes feel like they are looking right through me (scary). Hard to believe that a digital cameras have come this far, but you have the ability too.

Regards,

Steve C.

MichaelT · Jan 2, 2001

Peter,

This is a spectacular image. Very nicely done from all aspects...lighting, composition, subject, etc. It is the most compelling image I have seen posted in a long time.

I don't give out any prizes but it is my pic for photo of the month!

Excellent work!

Please post some more!

MichaelT

Steadman Uhlich · Jan 2, 2001

Here's where you get it direct from the developer.

They have a special on a version that is good for inkjet and web use only. NIK Sharpener Pro is what you should investigate.

Also, check out the ColorEFX Pro product if you like B&W

http://www.tech-nik.com/english/products.html

Happy New Millennium!
Steadman

Peter H · Jan 2, 2001

Shooting Date/Time
12/31/00 02:06:38
Shooting Mode
Aperture-Priority AE
Tv (Shutter Speed)
1/40
Av (Aperture Value)
4.5
Metering Mode
Evaluative
Exposure Compensation
0
ISO Speed
200
Lens
28.0 - 105.0 mm
Focal Length
105.0 mm
Image Size
2160 x 1440
Image Quality
RAW
Flash
Off
White Balance
Auto
AF Mode
One-Shot AF
Focusing Point

Parameters
Contrast Normal
Sharpness Normal
Color Saturation Normal
File Size
2628 KB

René #11868 · Jan 2, 2001

Great shot Peter! Now this begs the question - you gonna share that plugin with the world?

Cheers, Rene

Mike Greer · Jan 6, 2001

Peter,

Is there anyway you can post a JPG of the original (color) D30 shot? I want to evaluate just how much SilverOxide's FP4 filter contributed to this spectacular B&W image.

Peter H · Jan 6, 2001

Here it is as it came out of the camera. All I have done is to convert the RAW image to JPEG and to reduce the size by 50%

Peter Holton.

NickW · Jan 6, 2001

Simply stunning.
Thanks for sharing.
NickW

andrzej · Jan 7, 2001

Beautiful picture.
There is plenty of trust between you and the model.

I notice that the highlights are "blown" in the B&W picture, while they are very good in the color original. Do you know why?
Is it my monitor? No one else seems to comment on this.

Andrzej

Mike Dobbs · Jan 8, 2001

Peter

I made a quick test of the colour jpeg you posted below to see if I could use PS Channel mixer to get close to the Silver Oxide tonal values. I used Red:60, Green:58, Blue:-12, Constant:0 and altered brightness/constrast slightly. Here is the result:

Note that I didn't make any changes to the colour jpeg such as sharpening or contrast.

Mike.

Peter H · Jan 8, 2001

That is an impressive result. I think it is very, very close.

Just one observation, do you think the lip colour is the same. It looks a slightly deeper shade on your example, even allowing for the fact that your image is very slightly darker. It is the way that SilverOxides plug ins deal with reds (and greens) that is their strong point.

Anyone else agree?

Peter Holton

Mike Dobbs · Jan 9, 2001

Peter,

I agree there are subtle differences between the versions...the channel mixed shot has slightly "muddied" highlights (see the whites of the eyes). But, bearing in mind I'm very new to this channel mixing stuff and also only spent something like 2-3 minutes tweeking the image...I think there's lots of room to improve it.

However, I think people should keep in mind that the idea should not be to attain the Silver Oxide FP4 tone exactly...there filter is also only an approximation of real FP4. I feel that unless you need these filters to allow previous film experience to be relevant, you should be able to get by just fine with a little channel mix work and still achieve great results.

Cheers!
Mike.

Peter H · Jan 9, 2001

Mike,

I agree that making your own filter is a very good idea as it gives you control and saves money. I guess that working on a set of grey scales from SilverOxide and replicating them in Channel Mixer and then saving them for future use is one way to go.

I have a lot of confidence in the SO filters and believe that they represent good value. Yes I could, in time replicate (I think) what they have achieved. I would rather spend the $35 and be sure I was getting an accurate result.

I guess you are either the sort of person that likes the help plug ins offer or you like to save the money and do it yourself. I could be totally wrong but it is my understanding that most plug ins use PS's in built features and simply automate critical functions (Nic Sharpener is another example).

Anyway, I find it reassuring using plug ins from people who have far greater expertise and don't mind paying for the privilege. If you can do it yourself, good for you! You will be able to put those savings into areas more useful to you.

Peter H.

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