Sundown is always a magical time of day, more so in the mountains when in the space of half a minute the light radically changes. I had come down early off the ski slopes on this particular day and caught this moment from the edge of Zermatt. It’s a moment that captures people’s imagination. I wasn’t the only one to pause and watch as the last rays of the sun were extinguished.
The image is almost monochromatic (in colour) but when I converted this to the greyscale I was disappointed with the results. The image lost part of its appeal – it felt too cold, and the mid tones had a muddied look to them.
That’s my opinion, maybe you think differently?
I like the color much better.
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Thanks you Shimon – with six comments now made, everyone is in agreement
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Stunning photos Andy 🙂
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Thanks Norma
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I do like the color version better in this case, Andy. But the B&W does have an old-time feel to it and nice light.
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Thanks Jimi. That’s the joy of B&W – it can look timeless. I’m glad you prefer the colour version in this instance.
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I agree with you on your choice of the color version, also. The blue sky pops in color but it seems a little bland in black and white.
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I have to agree.
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Thanks Linda.
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Thanks Ken. I felt I should be able to do better with the B&W conversion, but it just didn’t ‘pop’ like the colour original did.
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Beautiful image Andy and I agree I think the color is outstanding.
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Thanks Edith. It seems everyone is agreed so far – the colour version is better.
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The colour version does ‘pop’ but I do like the monochrome – a few tweaks and it could be pretty good!
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Thanks Sue – I will take another look at the B&W version thanks to you and Chillbrook’s comments.
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I really like the colour version Andy but I think with a few tweaks in Photoshop as Sue says, the black and white could be outstanding. I’d darken the sky a little with the blue sliders when converting to black and white to add drama. I’d then select the foreground, probably using luminosity masks but if you’re new to those, the select tool will work too, increase the brightness and beef up the contrast and I think that would make a real difference. 🙂
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Many thanks for the suggestions, Adrian. I will take another look and see what can be achieved.
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Andy – I have to go along with your other commentors and say the color image is the stronger of the two. But, I also think that the B&W has possibilities, if you’ve got the interest in working with it a bit more.
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Thanks Melinda. With three encouragements now I will see what more I can do with the B&W version.
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Let us know how it works out! (Are you familiar with NIK plug-ins? I use the Silver Efex for all my B&W conversions,.)
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I have NIK – just haven’t got round to installing it yet.
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Well, I suppose I can see the value of trying to “work” the black and white to achieve better results, but my personal opinion is — you already have a fabulous photo in that first one. I much prefer the first. It feels more alive. The black and white seems flat to me.
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I think that is a very valid opinion, Linda. I am really a rather lazy person – if something doesn’t look right within a reasonable space of time, then I will give up and move on. The ‘flatness’ of the greys in the B&W version disappoints me – I’m going to have one more attempt and then give up!
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I think the first one has the better result. Regardless of which one is better, just being there and recording this moment in time is priceless, Andy.
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Thanks Len. That seems to be the majority opinion. I watched the sun dip and couldn’t miss this shot.
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