Topic: LEICA M MONOCHROM : keep sharing pictures, guys, .... (Read 332795 times)

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #440 on:** September 17, 2015, 09:33:03 am »

Quote from: drmike on September 17, 2015, 09:16:52 am

But aren't you describing the better street shots, well composed photographs that happen to have people in them? After that hurdle is crossed then you get to the human interest.

My monitor is calibrated so it shouldn't be too dark but I'm not saying that isn't the problem though.

Thanks Doc. Maybe that one won't make it to the final cut then.

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #441 on:** September 17, 2015, 09:35:02 am »

Quote from: BrianVS on September 17, 2015, 09:27:37 am

Portrait in Motion by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

Fireball Descending by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

Burke Lake by fiftyonepointsix, on Flickr

Good stuff keep'm come'n Brian.

drmike · « **Reply #442 on:** September 17, 2015, 09:39:43 am »

Quote from: Allen Bourgeois on September 17, 2015, 09:33:03 am

Thanks Doc. Maybe that one won't make it to the final cut then.

I am confident that you are a better judge of this than I am

It's a pleasure to see your images.

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #443 on:** September 17, 2015, 09:45:26 am »

Quote from: drmike on September 17, 2015, 09:39:43 am

I am confident that you are a better judge of this than I am It's a pleasure to see your images.

Thanks so much Doc Mike and your input is valued. I don't know about being a better judge. Sometimes we can get to close to our work and not see the forest for the tree. Those were just shot yesterday and like most of things I post I throw'm up on the wall to see what sticks so keep on giving that honest opinion PLEASE. It is a huge help in the weeding process.

drmike · « **Reply #444 on:** September 17, 2015, 10:02:53 am »

For my sins I am always honest

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #445 on:** September 17, 2015, 10:03:50 am »

LoL and that is a GOOD thing.

Thanks again brother...

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #446 on:** September 18, 2015, 07:10:34 am »

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #447 on:** September 19, 2015, 02:33:49 pm »

Some from this AM

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #448 on:** September 22, 2015, 11:27:44 pm »

drmike · « **Reply #449 on:** September 23, 2015, 03:10:36 am »

The first one is the winner for me.

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #450 on:** September 23, 2015, 10:08:11 am »

Thanks DrMike.....

How 'bout some stripes

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #451 on:** September 27, 2015, 02:38:19 pm »

drmike · « **Reply #452 on:** September 27, 2015, 04:05:51 pm »

That last one is great with the dead space adding some tension - how cool/blue is your conversion? I'm old school glossy paper and I like cool blue tones. Also do you apply a gradient layer in your conversion/processing to ensure a true black? It can make quite a big difference, not always good it has to be said.

I love the first two, the first being the better (as ever IMO) as it well composed and witty. You do get out and about and find the opportunities.

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #453 on:** September 27, 2015, 06:49:59 pm »

Dr Mike Thanks and there are no conversions from color. These are straight B&W from Leica M Monochrom dng files to tiffs then to jpgs. 1.8 gamma B&W files. Not RGB. I keep these pretty straight B&W with no tone added in post. No gradient added. There are so much on in MM files.

I used to selenium tone my fiber base prints for archival reasons back in the wet darkroom days.

drmike · « **Reply #454 on:** September 28, 2015, 02:34:48 am »

After I posted I realised it was the Monochrom and hence no conversion but you must apply some post processing?

I would be very interested to use a Monochrom for the day just to see if it offered any advantage over colour and the Silver Efex but it's not going to happen and I could never afford one anyway! I guess maybe Calumet might offer a day's use of a Monchrom some time but they would quickly work out that I couldn't afford it

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #455 on:** September 28, 2015, 10:43:34 am »

Hey Mike,

Being a film guy I was never satisfied with B&W digital until the MM. I had a couple of semesters of the zone system while in college (yeah I did all the tests) and I printed all of my own B&W work (still do) and also, for a lot of years, did custom B&W and color printing.

I do have both LR and SE but I never warmed up to either. (Both came with the MM)

I start in raw and do basic adjustments there like contrast, sometimes correct perspective, density the usual basic adjustments. Save as tiff and then I fine tune in CS6. I actually use raw and CS6 a lot like I would work in a wet darkroom. I then make choices of what i am going to print and then I make a test print and make final adjustments from that print. As we all know a back lit image on a screen can look different from a print.

I noticed about 6 years ago I was seeing things n B&W. Shapes, tones etc. images that even though I shot in color were really B&W images. When the MM was introduced I thought that this was the perfect camera for me and my personal work so I went on the waiting list. I have had the camera now for almost three years and it was the perfect tool for the way I am now seeing.

It's like putting a roll of B&W in your camera. You are now looking for and shooting images that are B&W. It's not B&W as an after thought or maybe I can fix this bad color image in LR and SE. There is a purity to the process.

I am a full time commercial/advertising photographer and have been doing this full time since graduating from college in 1986 so my photography pays for all of my equipment. Yeah it is expensive but no more so that top of the line Canon and Nikon equipment and a lot less that digital Phase and Blad stuff. I can see where this stuff can be a stretch for a hobbyist though.

drmike · « **Reply #456 on:** September 28, 2015, 11:49:02 am »

That's very interesting. I can see how the mindset works regarding B&W being a sort of second route if you do shoot in colour. It is different if you are positively shooting B&W rather than potentially doing so.

Is all your commercial work B&W then? You've done well with your career by the sound of it, I've never tried but it must be amazingly hard to carve a commercial career so kudos to you. It's a hard world out there being freelance at anything.

If the gear can earn its keep then that's a good enough reason to buy it!

Mike

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #457 on:** September 28, 2015, 12:32:41 pm »

Quote from: drmike on September 28, 2015, 11:49:02 am

That's very interesting. I can see how the mindset works regarding B&W being a sort of second route if you do shoot in colour. It is different if you are positively shooting B&W rather than potentially doing so.

Is all your commercial work B&W then? You've done well with your career by the sound of it, I've never tried but it must be amazingly hard to carve a commercial career so kudos to you. It's a hard world out there being freelance at anything.

If the gear can earn its keep then that's a good enough reason to buy it!

Mike

Mike 80% of my commercial work is color. I have Canons for that. I do get a few assignments that require B&W. I wish they all did (LoL). Shooting all week for others in color and in usually very controlled environments when I shoot for myself I like to get away from that world and into a world of total spontaneity and tones shapes, repeating shapes, lines, tones and other things that happen and need to be seen and captured in fractions of seconds. I think it was Meyerowitz that said, and I'm paraphrasing, finding moments of clarity in chaos.

drmike · « **Reply #458 on:** September 28, 2015, 12:54:39 pm »

I couldn't see how anyone could carve a career in B&W these days. You use the Monochrom well, I have just cheeked the UK prices. Gee whizz is the most sensible thing I can say.

Allen Bourgeois · « **Reply #459 on:** September 28, 2015, 12:58:12 pm »

Quote from: drmike on September 28, 2015, 12:54:39 pm

I couldn't see how anyone could carve a career in B&W these days. You use the Monochrom well, I have just cheeked the UK prices. Gee whizz is the most sensible thing I can say.

The original is selling for a good price these days and I have no desire to upgrade to the new one.

Author Topic: LEICA M MONOCHROM : keep sharing pictures, guys, .... (Read 332795 times)