More Black and White
There are so many interesting comments from a mix of readers, from professionals to amateurs like me. I rely mainly on actions to convert my photos to b & w, and several mentioned in the comment section were already in my arsenal. But I learned that there are so many different ways to convert a photo that it left my head spinning.
So I spent the early part of this evening playing around with different actions and downloading a couple that I’d never heard of before and trying them out. And since I have nothing else of importance to say today, I thought I’d share some of the portraits I was working on.
Today’s models are all brought to you from the animal kingdom.
Kevin Kubota’s Chocolate Syrup 2
Kevin Kubota’s Classic Film-Effects was the first set of actions I purchased for myself. The chocolate syrup pair is one of my favorites because I love the rich brown tones. And frankly, I’d love anything named chocolate syrup.
B’s Vanilla II (free download)
I’d never heard of this one until today and I love the warm tones. I also like the contrast control that it affords.
Princess of Shadows Cappuccino (free download)
This is one of several vintage wash offerings by Princess of Shadows and the whole pack is available free. They’re really beautiful.
Red Leaf Studios Dy-No-Myte
The tones in Red Leaf Studio’s vintage soft tones actions are designed to compliment and not overpower your image. I played around with all three of their B & W actions and found that the tones of this one worked the best here.
Michelle Black’s BW Essence (free download)
This Michelle Black classic action allows so much control over your image. I could have gone super dramatic here and had to calm myself down. I loved playing with this one.
PW’s B & W – set 1 (free download)
Doug Boutwell at Totally Rad Actions helped Ree Drummond create her free action packs and they remain at the top of my list. This beautiful black & white one adds a soft black edge to the finished product.
Totally Rad Actions Bitchin’ B & W (free download)
A beautiful B & W conversion. To get the free download, click on ‘try em’, then fill in your info. This action is the duplicate of the one he created for PW called B&W Beauty.
Kevin Kubota’s KPZ Grainy Film
I can’t say enough about Kevin Kubota’s Classic Film-Effects Pak and chose this one to bring out the fur in my model here. Hello, my friend.
Hope you enjoyed today’s critters and the black & white photography. Thanks for stopping by, my friends.
Until tomorrow, then . . .
34 comments:
How beautiful! And what subtle variations and effects the different actions give. (I'd not heard of actions before!)
Happy New Year, Country Girl!
Hey, Raph ~ So nice to see you again. Thanks.
~ C.G.
PS - People, if you want to see some sweet art work featuring Raph's giraffe family, visit his blog!
I love black and white photos...yours are terrific....
It looks like such fun to play around with those actions. And, of course to have such really good shots to begin with too! I find b&w and sepia tones so intriguing. xo ~Lili
Love these. The cat right above the chickadee? Looks exactly like my Twinkie.
For someone who claims to be an amateur you know a heck of a lot more than you think. I don't even know what an action is, much less how to download one. Chocolate syrup, yes. Actions, no.
Beautiful as ever! The eyes of the orange(?) cat are stunning!
now i want to go play with all of these, but i am too lazy to get up, maybe tomorrow. these are all gorgeous, i love the fox. thanks for the info!
I really love B&W photos...these turned out great!
Since I know nothing about these actions, I am completely in the dark thinking about what this all means. But what I do know is that I like what you have accomplished with every photo. I am a big fan of the brown and whites...they look very vintage to me!
Have a great Thursday!
I have always wondered where you got your actions from, what a stunning collection. I love your work, it's simply beautiful, and the actions are a great compliment.
Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams
i dearly love anything by michelle black - i buy a lot of her products. the totally rads are great too
Great work on these photos and the demo of all those action was excellent!
You just work magic on your beautiful photos!
Kate - great job - love that Chocolate syrup one the best - probably because it makes me want some chocolate - now!
I adore the first few here . Stunning work. First light in the morning Im heading to her blog and reading about this. You make it a must. Loved your post. Just loved it.
My favorite in your series here is the B's Vanilla - with the mare and foal(s). Love the effect there.
The picture of the parrot is my favorite ^^
Beautiful. I'm going to try some of these definitely.
In a way all of this is so daunting...
Your photos show an eye for the essence of the subject , not just an effect I think. I think I want to learn some of this, I think I just like to love your work and others who are able to do this.
sigh.
I love photographing in black and white. I may have an assingment on weekends to photograph for a horse club, I am in the process of puting together a portfolio for the club to see if they would like me to be their photographer, Im no pro , just love photography ! AWESOME photos ! Have a snap happy day !
The cat sitting on the bed and the bird are definitely my favorite! I need to look at my own photos in black and white. We focus on color so much, but I love how black and white can change the whole meaning behind a photo. Great job with these.
Cabin Fever in Vermont
beautiful ... i dont seem to have time to do more than point and shoot and hopefully upload the better of pics...i am sure my camera has a b&w setting but i have not seen it yet lol... love your pics they are calming in my world of chaos.
My favorite 'action' is the little B/W button in Picnik.com's effects section presto chango its monochrome .. and while I admire your sepia, um, chocolate actions for me its B/W or color .
you know...i think i just love black and white no matter what it is, where it comes from.....i just love it !
Love all the the photos. When I see them all together like this, I like the warmth of the brown tones the best.
I personally love the look of black a nd white. But I am not educated enough to notice or care about the "details" of it. I just admire a nice shot! :) Yours are always beautiful. You have motivated me to challenge myself more this year, and also put getting to know my PS program better!
Beautiful! My horse pictures never turn out like that.
These are super!
Black and White Photography makes me feel very peaceful.
Oh how did I miss all these posts?! What fun to see all these!
Here's a good tutorial on making your own b&w conversion:
http://beckyearlphotography.com/blog/?p=923
This is a fantastic post Kate! I love seeing the differences between all these black and whites...I love the chocolate syrup...I am still trying to get a little comfortable with textures...next I will try actions for sure!
LOVE B/W!......thank you for the info...smiles.
B's vanilla is gorgeous!!!!
Oh my gosh. I didn't mean to repeat rees or you posts! I don't remember Ree asking this...I feel pretty dumb. You got such great answers too. I didn't copy you on purpose...really I didn't.
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