Elephant B&W

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

1/500
f/5
5DIII
500 II
Converted in NIK Silver FX pro, tried it for the first time :-)

[Douglas Bolt]

Considering the old saying, "If it doesn't add, crop it out", consider cropping at the edge of each ear. You've already cropped away over 50% of the elle, why not focus ones attention on just the "meat" of the image.

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Thanks Douglas, this is nearly full frame BTW.

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Sanjeev - I think for this to work in b&w you need a much greater tonal range and contrast. As posted it's too flat and lacking a lot of the detail that exists in the RAW. Here's a rp where I did a levels adjustment just to the ele (but not the tusks) bringing in the rhs to 244 and and the midtone slider to the right to .85. I then applied a curves layer with a traditional s curve adjustment also just to the ele. I burned the tusks at 6 % and finally I applied another round of USM. You may want to dial back some of the adjustments but this will show you the differences. WDYT?

TFS,
Rachel

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Thanks Rachel, your RP has really shown how increasing the tonal range and contrast the image can be much improved! I shall try the same with my original. Thanks for your tips.
sanjeev

[Diane Miller]

A wonderful shot, Sanjeev, and Rachel's tonal tweaks are perfect. I might think about cropping from the left, halfway to the ear or more, but I like the right side as you framed it. It shows a little context and gives the elephant a little room to move into. Trimming from the left makes it seem a little less centered.

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Sanjeev, good to see you stretching your wings and exploring other mediums.

Just remember, going B/W you have to think differently, as it's all about tones, lights & darks. As you explore the best way is to be aggressive with the sliders, then you get to know the 'cause & effect' they have. I think Rachel did a good job and perhaps I might back off a little in certain steps, but that is only personal preference, however the RP clearly illustrates what you can achieve, as the original does look flat and with little detail. Also I would suggest upping the ISO for a greater DOF, f/5 isn't really there. Not wild about the crop, however if this is almost FF I'm not sure what you could try as an alternative, perhaps tighter, but you don't want to 'pixel' bash.

Keep exploring it can only enhance your skills.

TFS
Steve