Grasshopper in Mono

[kev7d]

A shot from last summer in Ste Paule using Topaz Studio.

 

[Korky]

Bugs an' crawly things aren't usually my cup of tea, but I reckon that looks superb in mono.

Has to be viewed large to fully appreciate.

Korky

[kev7d]

Thanks Korks! I am quite getting into this Topaz Studio now. Like any software, its being subtle with the controls if you want to keep it natural. 

[David61]

I think you did a great job on that Kev, imo some bugs/critters go great in mono.

[JHFoto]

Good mono treatment

[kev7d]

David / JH.   Appreciated.   The conversion was done in Topaz Studio.   

[FUJI]

A rather unusual subject for you Kev?

But you have cracked it as an insect shot, but then made it special by converting it into mono, this lifts it to a different level/genre..

The original colour shot, will be a very true record of what you saw....but converting the shot into mono and then adjusting it as you have in Topaz has lifted it towards the...Fine-Art ...end of photography.

It takes me back to something I read or heard.....shooting in Colour you record the clothes and fashions. ...but by shooting in mono, you record the soul.....something similar applies in this case.

I too use Topaz Studio in conjunction with Photoshop CS6 for every shot I process ....I have an internalised workflow that allows me to adjust tone/colour/curves/ saturation/sharpness etc in a targeted manner.....Topaz Filters  help me to make the initial improvements to the Raw original, and then CS6 brushes on layers enable me to adjust minutely....the final study is saved as a Psd and then as a reduced JPEG for posting and emails.

Making changes in a targeted manner means that I make adjustments in tiny steps exactly where required on the subject or background.

FUJI

[kev7d]

Thanks FUJI.   I guess it was unusual for me.      Last summer I travelled to the Beaujolais in the knowledge that Françoise has parents with a garden that is alive with bugs in the summer, you can hear them all day and night long.     I got myself a flash ring for the trip only to discover the light was pretty awesome which helped with the finish of this image.   A conversion in Topaz finished the job.