Billy the Kid

Hi -

This is a Mountain Goat Kid I photographed near Alpine, WY along the highway. I tried doing this in black and white because their fur is naturally a yellowish-white which doesn't look that good against the snow. To do this, I adjusted the color balance in the RAW converter and did some sharpening. Then I adjusted levels a tiny bit as it appeared a little too gray.

I cropped as best as I could to include as much of the Kid's coat in the frame.

I've never done a black and white before but am wondering what you think. I will be online later tonight and am looking forward to commenting on more photos then after homework.

Canon EOS 5D MIII
Canon 500mm IS + 1.4xTC
Gitzo tripod
ISO 250 ; f/7.1 ; 1/640s

Cropped 40% off

Very special image Ashleigh! Your black and white conversion really makes this shot over the top. I love the way you cropped this, and the detail is super. I visit Wyoming every year and have not been able to find these guys. We'll done, you should be very proud.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hi Ashleigh - Another great image design. The b&w conversion works well, I just think it needs a bit more pop. I took it into PS and did a levels adjustment bringing in the right slider until just before the whites got too hot and also moving the midtone (middle) slider to the right. Finally I applied a round of USM to sharpen it a tad more. I may have overdone it slightly on the sharpening but it gives you an idea. Overall a really excellent image that would be a definite wall hanger for me.

TFS,
Rachel


Hi Rachel thanks so much that looks amazing! And I understand how you did it too.

Do you think it's a big deal that the background is showing in the upper right corner? I couldn't crop it out without cutting off parts of the goat's head.

Hi Ashleigh - I'm glad you like it and understand what I did. I did look at the upper right corner a couple times and while I would have preferred for the goat to fill the frame, I decided it wasn't a big deal because the bg is still white. Let's see what others think.

Rachel

OK -- two great images in a row here!! I have to say amazing and wonderful!

Rachel made it sing and the UR doesn't distract me at all, but if you wanted you could do a masked adjustment layer there and reduce contrast.

Ashleigh both of these images look good but I do prefer your original post ,don't know if these are the right words to use but it gives the impression of softness which I like, just my take on it of course.
Regards Keith.

I like this image very much and that includes your crop, Ashleigh! Rachel has given you excellent advice and with a few "tweaks" she made your subject stand out even more. I love your work, I think you're really going places with your photography, I am very excited to see your progress and really enjoying your posts, keep them coming!!!

Kind regards,

This is a stunning composition!! I am fine with both posts as they each offer a slightly different look. That little bit of snow bkgd is fine as it allows the ends of the fur to show and is of the same tones. B&W was a great way to go with this.

Excellent image design and conversion. I like the comp very much, I think Rachel has take it up a notch and certainly has added POP to it. Well done.

Lovely framing and concept here, Ashleigh!
I agree with Rachel and like her repost more, but I also feel it could use even more pop and contrast.
I'd be interested to do a repost but I'm away at the moment.

Hi Ashleigh, this great in all terms.Comp and the idea to,produce it. There is room for tonal adjustments i feel, and more than Rachel already did.Not saying it is not good , but there is potential for more. But that is very subjective .

TFS Andreas

Hi Ashleigh.Lovely framing and concept here.
I agree with a slight increase in contrast

Hi Ashleigh, the conversion works because of the nature of the subject. Overall comp, framing and position look spot on to me.

If it was me I might just tweak it a bit in Selective colour as I feel the blacks & neutrals just require a fraction more, the blacks need a richness, but something you want to avoid is adding Contrast to the image. A simple adjustment in Curves too, does help, but as I'm away I can't be too specific as the MB pro is not ideal. :w3
Like Artie's post of the Snow monkey, the softer fur in your OP I think is more in keeping as it doesn't conflict with the head, nice image. :cheers:


TFS
Steve