Photo Monday: The Model Alexandria in Black And White

Believe it or not, this image was a mistake. Actually a series of mistakes.

First, to the pic. The biggest mistake was that my lighting was off. The brightness of the key light (in this case the one to her back) was about a stop and a half brighter than what it needed to be. So her back is lit, almost to the point of being blown out -- that is all detail being lost, and appearing to be plain white.

Second, I had her dip her front shoulder to the camera, looking to create some angles and motion in the image. That was a mistake too. I should have had her keep it flat, which would accent her graceful neck, which this image doesn't.

So, if it's a mistake, why is it today's Photo Monday shot? (And why is Photo Monday being posted on Tuesday?!)

Well, this image is a classic Photoshop save that came from a bit of creativity and initiative.

As all RAW images start, this was a full-color image. But in full color, the image would have been a complete loss. In high-contrast black and white, however, this image pops, with excellent contrasts between light and dark grays that lend an air of mystery and mood to the image. So the first step, was to do a black and white conversion. Easy enough. Next, to emphasize the tones, I used the Curves tool to raise the black values in the backdrop and her hair, and the shadow under her hand.

As for the brightness on her back, a new tool I learned how to use was the key to getting a usable image here. That tool, the Color Range tool (found under Select > Color Range) allows you to select a target color -- in this case I selected the near-white values on Alex's back -- and the tool makes a selection containing just those colors. Then, in the Levels tool (accessed through Images > Adjustments > Levels) you can edit the relative brightness of those selected areas (email me or leave a comment if you want more detail on how to do this). After reducing the brightness, and recovering some detail, and skin tone and texture, the pic went from loser to keeper.

Last, some quick sharpening, using the Smart Sharpen tool completed the transformation.

Sometimes one has to dig for gold, and when working with a beautiful model, that digging can get you a great image from what appeared initially to be a total loss.

Time to go from nothing to something: about 20 minutes.

So, the moral of today's Photo Monday is that you should never give up on an image prematurely if ever. Almost all your images have some redeeming quality if only you're willing to look for it. There might be gold in "them thair hills" if only you're willing to be patient and creative with your images.