First photo session

Hi, I was taking some pictures today and would like to know what you all thing looks better, I took the picture as jpg and raw format and made them black and white in photoshop using lab color.
This is my first time using the raw format so I was not sure what to do there so I just did what I thought looked good.
Here are the pictures

jpg.

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Very cute little one! She posed quite nicely for you. I like your picture. The only things that came to me when I first looked at it was, I thought is was too dark and her legs are cut off from the photo. Take my thoughts with a grain of salt, I'm just starting myself Hope you post some more of your shots!

Chris

OH...I think the RAW looks better

2nd one better. A simple crop perhaps? Just remove a bit of the black at the top and the right-hand side. Cute subject BTW.

Whether it's my eyes, my screen or what but i REALLY can't tell the difference between both??? I find them to be quite grey also, no definite blacks and whites, maybe it needs a bit more contrast?
I also find the choice of cropping needs to be improved, there's a lot of black background but why?
Veyr cut elittle girl, have you got anymore?

Thank you all for looking.
I will crop it and and I was not sure about editing in raw format.
I took about 300 pictures yesterday and since the kids don't go by you order it was hard and my daughter likes to lay down for pictures and I had the camera set this way and thats why her legs are cut off.
Another thing is that usually when I think that they look good and print them they always come to light and that is why I don't want to make them to light og the computer.
One other question, whera is the best place to order matte prints online?

Maybe it has something to do with your monitor? Might be time for an upgrade - im doing this too, with the weddings i have booked i need a perfect screen!

Del

That is funny becuse I just got this monitor few monthhs ago and I have been trying to set it right and I have also noticed that when I have them printed at different places they look different so I'm trying to find a good place to get them printed at

If anyone else is looking at the pictures then here is the jpg. one I deleted from my website

THe first photo is not loading for me. The second one is cute although it is quite dark. It's hard to get the perfect B&W. I've found that you will need to adjust levels and also bump up the contrast at least 10 pts, and mess with the highlights. Then you can add a duo-tone color... just a light touch of brown/bronze, or something similar will add warmth, and help to retain some of the details that sometimes get blown. Just becareful not to add too much or it will take on a sepia-look.

Really, I have no idea what I'm talking about, but it works for me...All I'm sure of is that if you simply desaturate, you will not get the best rendering of B&W possible... check out some actions and download them and play around. The same thing will not always work on every photo, but it's a great starting place for learning.

asdisc wrote:
That is funny becuse I just got this monitor few monthhs ago and I have been trying to set it right and I have also noticed that when I have them printed at different places they look different so I'm trying to find a good place to get them printed at

Sounds like you need to calibrate your monitor.... Do a search and you will find numerous threads about calibrating.

It looks bad when you focus a face in the centre of a picture. Remember composition rules.

Also B and W its better to go from grey scale to white or Black to Grey scale. White to Black is less appealing. Your white look grey

Try reading b and W dark room techniques. We are too easily in the digital era without b and w basics IMO

Ansell Adams stuff?