I like doing black and white conversions of my architectural photography using Nik Silver Efex Pro.
I like this conversion, which was done using one of the presets. Ok I forgot which one – I normally write this in the copy name in the metadata in Lightroom. Not a big issue as I could quickly recreate this black and white conversion using Nik, as I normally only go as far as using the presets themselves.
Black and white gives an image a new dynamic, with the colours being removed you are left with the subject and the tonal ranges and contrast within.
For some images a black and white conversion does not work.
For my commercial architectural photography work, I sometimes slip in a couple of black and white versions of picks from the shoot just to give something a bit different. I am definitely going to do more of this going forwards as it makes a nice change. Black and white will not replace my regular processing work though as clients want those bright, vibrant, crisp colours which show of their architectural work the best.
With Google issuing the Nik software free I have enjoyed doing more black and white work, and am going to have a black and white week soon, once my portfolio is completed, and once I have cleared the backlog of commercial work that I am ploughing through at the moment.
Another task coming up is a purge of my Lightroom Catalogue. Much overdue (not that I am running out of space). I am going to make this a monthly task, to purge that month’s images and get rid of the images I do not want or need. This discipline will help me going forward.
Well that was all a bit random, just my thoughts on this Friday morning before the sun rises here in Dorset.
Images and videos only this weekend on my blog – no words required so please come back to www.rickmcevoyphotography.co.uk/blog tomorrow to see what I have posted. Not decided yet.
Footnote about me.
I am an architectural photographer in Dorset and (Hampshire) specialising in photographing the built environment in all its forms, from pre-construction through to demolition and rebuilding.