I don't see enough greyhounds rendered in black-and-white. So, if the thought occurs to me and if I think the image might lend itself to being in black-and-white, I give it a try and see what happens. Sometimes it's straight-up b&w; sometimes, it's sepia; sometimes, it's in platinum.
Here is an example of a color photo processed using the Platinum preset in Lightroom. First is the original picture in color:
And here is what it looks like after using the Platinum preset:
I can't say I recall how the three of them ended up arranged this way, but I thought it looked interesting enough to photograph. There's a strong sense of perspective implied by the angles of the greyhounds' forelegs, the edge of the surf behind them, and the tilted horizon line. I think I like the the black-and-white version more.
Greyhounds often lie upright in this "sphinx" position, where they rest on their elbows with forelegs extended in front of them and the back legs supporting a rear end that doesn't touch the ground. It looks uncomfortable (you often hear greyhound owners say this) but they have no problem lying this way. But they often put their heads down on their forelegs, look up at you and give you these big, sad puppy eyes so that you'll feel sorry for them. Sometimes they'll add a loud sigh to enhance the effect. It's one of their tricks.
(Shot with the Nikon D300 using the 18-200mm zoom lens set at 18mm; shutter-priority with shutter speed set at 1/500 second at f/10 and ISO 200; auto white balance; SB-800 provided fill-flash at -0.7 flash compensation; shot in RAW.)
The hound at the back looks like he/she is saying their prayers:) That's an interesting effect. It all looks very peaceful and contemplative.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful picture. I also notice the shadow more in the platinum version. You also describe the "trick" perfectly. It's always the "sigh" that gets me.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely one of their tricks!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of the Platinum setting. Is it something unique to Lightroom? Whatever it is, I agree that it turned out fantastically! It's beautiful!
I agree with What Remains Now, the shadow definitely stands out more. Almost like a fourth greyhound. It almost feels like I can pick out more detail in the Platinum version.
ReplyDelete@lori: it's interesting to see what details come out when you flip through different presets. in this case, the brindle striping is more prominent using this particular preset compared to others i've tried.
ReplyDelete@carrie: the platinum preset is one of many presets that come with lightroom. you can find other free or for-a-fee presets that others have developed. there's usually a preset for any kind of "look" you want.
I like the black and white better, too, but they're both lovely.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing that lightroom is for Mac? It's not a program that I've come across. Is it the only program that lets you add other presets? I've never heard of something like that, but it sounds cool as heck!
ReplyDelete@carrie: lightroom runs on both mac and windows. i just happen to use the windows version. you can download a trial version to try it out.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm off to look for it now! I was afraid it was one of those fancy Apple only deals!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous!! I've been a PS Elements user for a few years now, and have often wondered about moving up a notch. The full PS version is expensive, and I worry it might be a bit overwhelming. I think Lightroom is somewhere in the middle. I might have to give it a try. I love photographing hounds too. Carrie of Houndstooth suggested I stop by your site for a visit and I'm glad I did.
ReplyDeletehi, kristin! thanks for your comments and for stopping by. i hope you'll continue to enjoy the pictures i share.
ReplyDeletei'd been an elements user until i noticed one version started randomly changing the "date taken" attribute on my pictures, which would goof up a gallery's sort if the gallery's pictures were sorted by that attribute. PSE would do that even if i was only opening a picture to look at it. i downloaded a trial version of lightroom, made the switch, and i've been happy since the change. if i need to go to PS for something that lightroom isn't designed to handle, i can do this easily since lightroom provides a outlet to it.
just keep in mind that lightroom doesn't use layers like PS and PSE do. but i've found that i really don't need it, and if i do need layering i go to PS from lightroom.