Are You a Photographer?

[D.M.A.A.D.]

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I captured this street character outside of a café. He stopped and asked, "Are you a photographer?" I told him that, "I love to look around and take pictures of all the interesting things I see." He agreed and responded, "Sometimes, you just want to have a picture, so you can look at it all the time." I asked him if I could take his picture, implying that he was interesting. He consented and paused just for a few moments.

Leica Q3 

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Edited March 24 by D.M.A.A.D.
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[Louis]

Interesting character and a nice portrait. You could even frame it vertically. 

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[D.M.A.A.D.]

17 minutes ago, Louis said:

Interesting character and a nice portrait. You could even frame it vertically. 

I considered portrait framing, but I didn't want to lose all that street... as the street was a big part of his story. Thanks for commenting.

[fotografr]

Very nice, and a good way to approach strangers. To my eye, the b&w is by far the stronger image. Beautiful conversion. 

[TheLaird]

6 minutes ago, fotografr said:

Very nice, and a good way to approach strangers. To my eye, the b&w is by far the stronger image. Beautiful conversion. 

Agreed. Is b&w sooc jpg or colour one edited? If edited, what did you do?

[stuny]

Both are lovely, and I slightly prefer the B&W.

[D.M.A.A.D.]

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1 hour ago, TheLaird said:

Agreed. Is b&w sooc jpg or colour one edited? If edited, what did you do?

I shoot in RAW. Both versions were editing to my liking in Lightroom Classic. Thanks for your comments. 

[Aram Langhans]

Agree about the black and white.  In the color the background is more distracting and the subject blends in more.  In the B&W, the subject jumps out from the background.  Don't know if you boosted the subject in the B&W to get this effect or if it is just a consequence of being in B&W with that particular background. The pose is slightly different, too, and that could be why.  He seems more engaged in the B&W.  Nicely done.  It would be interesting to see the images switched to see if I still feel the same way if the color were B&W and vice versa.  

 

Edited March 24 by Aram Langhans

[TheLaird]

17 hours ago, D.M.A.A.D. said:

I shoot in RAW. Both versions were editing to my liking in Lightroom Classic. Thanks for your comments. 

I was really asking as I have a Q2 and really like the B&W Hi Contrast which only works on the JPG in camera. So really trying to see if I can match it with a RAW conversion in LR without using Silver Efex. Did you do much in LR and if so, any real pointers as your B&W is a great look. Thanks.

[D.M.A.A.D.]

4 hours ago, TheLaird said:

I was really asking as I have a Q2 and really like the B&W Hi Contrast which only works on the JPG in camera. So really trying to see if I can match it with a RAW conversion in LR without using Silver Efex. Did you do much in LR and if so, any real pointers as your B&W is a great look. Thanks.

I'll try to answer. What I did/do is not very complicated. I only occasionally use Silver Efex for B&W conversion, because I seem to get perfectly good results with Lightroom Classic. I should mention that I have only had the Q3 for a short while, but I will mention my general approach.

With the Q3, I shoot and process in Leica's RAW/DNG format. The in-camera setting in "B&W Natural," so I can see preview the image in B&W, but I still only shoot in RAW. In Lightroom Classic you can scroll down through the profile settings, and open the RAW image with "Embedded B&W," which matches the setting in-camera.

For many B&W images, I boost the whites to about +50 AND bring the blacks down to about -50. Experiment. Then I adjust the "Exposure" and "Shadows" and reduce "Highlights" to my liking. I almost never use "Contrast," and I sometimes use the "Clarity" slider but ONLY very SPARINGLY (maybe +5-+10 maybe). I also pay attention to "Texture" by typically reducing it in the file. This can help to smooth the look after having pushed the whites and blacks. I almost never use "Sharpening" in Lightroom. Sometimes,  I experiment with "Dehaze."

This is my simplistic cooking process, but these are the elements I work with. Maybe you can experiment to see if you get something that suits you. Here's another example use my simple recipes. 

Hope this helps.

 

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[BruceRH]

Nice! Your encounter brings up a regret on my part. A while back a homeless man asked if I was a professional photographer when he saw me taking some images. He was sitting near a Starbucks and opening the door for people. He never asked me for money but we chatted for a bit, a nice guy but I really regret not asking if I could take his picture. I did give him some money for which he was very appreciative. 

[D.M.A.A.D.]

3 minutes ago, BruceRH said:

Nice! Your encounter brings up a regret on my part. A while back a homeless man asked if I was a professional photographer when he saw me taking some images. He was sitting near a Starbucks and opening the door for people. He never asked me for money but we chatted for a bit, a nice guy but I really regret not asking if I could take his picture. I did give him some money for which he was very appreciative. 

I've learned and enjoyed to become comfortable with people in almost any situation. It's a pleasure to be able to approach and interact without fear. An open mind and heart definitely help when taking candids and other portraits. Interesting and fascinating encounters everywhere. Thanks for your comments.

[algrove]

Coming from B&W film I prefer street in B&W, but that is just me even though your color image does not have colors that pulls one eye away from the subject.

[algrove]

Looking a bit more the B&W helps me focus more on his face instead of the reddish scarf which blends into the image in B&W. Just me.