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[OM] Re: Creativity, Photo funk, etc. [was Workout - Day 1]

Subject: [OM] Re: Creativity, Photo funk, etc. [was Workout - Day 1]
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 04 May 2006 21:18:31 -0700
Wayne Harridge wrote:
> I particularly like the series SC16 --> SC21, wonderful shapes 
Thanks!
> (probably would look even better in B&W !).
>   
I know you are pulling my chain, if only just a little, but.... not a 
bad idea to try out. One of the difficulties I have in converting color 
to B&W is deciding on the tonal balance. Somebody posted a while ago 
that some photo editors convert using just the green channel. In looking 
at these, I did a little testing. I can now say that PS does not do 
that. I looked at a couple of my images using the PS Unsaturate command 
and each of the three color channels individually, just to get some idea 
of what I was dealing with 
<http://www.moosemystic.net/Gallery/tech/B&Wconv.htm>.

In both of these, the blue channel did not fill the histogram highlight 
end. Using levels to fill the highlights lightened it a bit, but I left 
the above samples just as they came.

One of the interesting things about this whole series is the effect of 
the direction of the light and the direction from which I took the pics. 
SC16 and SC19 were taken with the light roughly behind me. SC20 and SC21 
are of the same wall area as SC16. but with the light roughly in front 
of me. The result in the visible texture of the painted concrete is 
quite different, and I emphasized this difference in post.

Next, I converted four of the images to B&W and have added them to the 
gallery as mouse roll-over alternates to the color images 
<cid:part1.07090606.02060801@gmail.com>.

The conversion of SC16 doesn't do a thing for me, the subtle variations 
in the ocher color just become uninteresting blotchiness to me. 
Likewise, SC17 doesn't do much for me. It's better than SC16, but part 
of what I like so much about SC17 is the two  geometric patches of 
simple color at the edges of the monochromatic main body. Not as strong 
for me in B&W.

SC19 and SC21 are a different story. In SC19, the relatively amorphous 
wall, which derives its interest from the color, derives a different 
interest that I like from the texture revealed in the blue channel, with 
slight adjustment. SC21 goes way beyond that, with an unnaturalistic, 
but pleasing to me, unmasking of the cornucopia of texture from the 
uneven application of paint and, presumably, it's reaction with the 
concrete. Sort of an x-ray of the thin, but complex layer of paint.

Thanks for the suggestion, that was fun and informative!

Moose

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