First attempt at B&W

[baj2k]

This is my first attempt at B&W. I'm new to photography -- only been at it since Dec. 2011. I have always been fascinated by how expressive B&W photos can be.

Anyway, I took a photo of a tulip (in know how cliché) but they were blooming in my backyard and I wanted to try my new lens (not the best FL for this picture but I was testing the lens).

The setup: 60D - Rokinon 85mm @ f/1.4 - ISO100 - 1/2000 - MF (other than zeroing out the saturation no other PP was done...) I wanted it soft around the edges, stark dark background, and the focus gradually drawing you in to the center. Looking at it now I'm thinking f/1.4 was to narrow of a DOF and/or I should have focused on the center of the petal and not the stamen.

I could use some feedback, encouragement, pointers, tips, etc... I have a thick skin so I'd rather hear it as it is or I'll never get better...

[PhotosGuy]

I'm thinking f/1.4 was to narrow of a DOF and/or I should have focused on the center of the petal and not the stamen.

Maybe, but the stamen isn't sharp, either? Did you select the focus point that's on it, or focus & recompose? (Not a good idea.) I'd have used AI Servo, too, because it compensates if I move a little bit on close-ups, or the wind moves the subject.
And to me, that isn't a B&W shot. It's B&Gray. A little more contrast might help, or if the sun was more to the side.

(other than zeroing out the saturation...

That's not the best way to convert to B&W. Most people pick one of the RGB channels & work with that.
My B&W action and sizing for POTN action...

B&W - in camera or in photoshop

[fnothaft]

I think it's a very good start for a first attempt. I have a few bits of advice though:

• B&W is best when you use the full dynamic range of greyscale (PhotosGuy referred to this as B&Grey versus B&W). You definitely use the full low range, but you aren't really using the full high side of the range. You can do this best by setting the white and black clipping points of the image using the histogram/curves. You can also achieve the same thing (more or less) by pushing the exposure and contrast of the image as desired. I really recommend familiarizing yourself with the curves tool — this gives you the maximum control over tonality in digital B&W.
• For macro(-esque) photography, you need to stop down more. Keep in mind, f/11 or even f/16 will occasionally give insufficient depth of field at a close distance. f/1.4 will give macroscopic depth of field.
• The composition is OK, but B&W really allows you to explore contrast or texture. For B&W, try to build your compositions differently from what you might traditionally look for in color.
• As PhotosGuy pointed out, desaturating is not the best way to go from color to B&W. For film B&W, you would actually use color filters to reduce the passage of certain colors of light. In digital, the equivalent is to use some form of color mixing which allows you to set the contribution of different colors to the photo. I'm not sure what tool you are using, but most tools have ways to do this.

[arumdevil]

I agree with the above. Desaturate is the worst way to convert to B&W because you have very little control of the result, but even before that you need a photo with a wider tonal range to get the best results.

I'll try to illustrate my point with some old pictures.

These first two work ok, but mainly because there are other points of interest such as the silky smoothness of the water in the first one, and the reflection in the puddle in the second. But otherwise they are quite boring shots because of the high contrast and lack of mid-tones and the B&W doesn't really do enough to save them (particularly the second shot).




The next two have much more (and smoother) range in the mid-tones and still a high-contrast conversion which makes for a much more interesting shot.




So the first step to getting a good B&W image is really choosing the right subject.

A good starting point would be to gather a selection of example photos that you really like in B&W and try to analyse what it is that makes them work and why you like them. While you're looking also note a few that don't work so well and compare.

It shouldn't take you long to identify the sorts of scenes and subjects that are going to work well as a B&W conversion, and that's half the battle.