I have several types of birds sitting on this perch. The perch is in the middle of a lake and is to high up to do anything but high key against the sky. Converting to BW is one way to expand the creativity on a shot like this.

Cool images! I had experimented with BW before with some of my images. Thanks for posting your images which inspire me to have a go at it again.

High key is a lot of fun. So is low key

I love a kind of "silver-look" or "white on white" like #20 and #27. But I need to consider to change my style and try high contrast! @Steve 's images are great!

A female leopard from Kwai, Botswana:


Ellies running to the waterhole, Nxai Pan, Botswana:


A scene from Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe:


A cheetah on the lookout from Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana:


Two Brothers from Central Kalahari Game reserve, Botswana:

My first effort..................

With all of these High Key photos, the background is lightened but often not the main subject. I think that often, the image has even more impact if the subject is lightened as well. Here are 2 photos - one with the lion properly exposed and one with the lion lightened. Which do you think looks better?

ElenaH said:

I love a kind of "silver-look" or "white on white" like #20 and #27. But I need to consider to change my style and try high contrast! @Steve 's images are great!

A female leopard from Kwai, Botswana:
View attachment 38276

Ellies running to the waterhole, Nxai Pan, Botswana:
View attachment 38277

A scene from Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe:
View attachment 38278

A cheetah on the lookout from Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana:
View attachment 38275

Two Brothers from Central Kalahari Game reserve, Botswana:

View attachment 38279

Click to expand...

Wow. These are all excellent.

Ivan Rothman said:

With all of these High Key photos, the background is lightened but often not the main subject. I think that often, the image has even more impact if the subject is lightened as well. Here are 2 photos - one with the lion properly exposed and one with the lion lightened. Which do you think looks better?View attachment 38287View attachment 38286

Click to expand...

I prefer #2

Ivan Rothman said:

Here are 2 photos - one with the lion properly exposed and one with the lion lightened. Which do you think looks better?

Click to expand...

interestingly, I prefer #1. It looks more "fine art" for me.
Excellent photos by the way (and processing)

My first contribution to this effort. It was a pain the neck. Not mine mind you, the bird's neck.

Took this two and a half years ago in the Great Bear Rainforest - printed it big and it’s on my wall… this is a very small version on my phone…. So may have lost a lot of detail! Heading back in three weeks

Ever since seeing Steve's video this morning, I haven't been able to stop playing with my old pictures.
How about darkening the background instead of lightening it.
How about adding a little color to the eyes.

Nikon Z9, 500mm f4 G lens, FTZII, 1.4TC. 1/2500 sec, f5.6, ISO 250.

Thanks for the thread and inspo Steve, I've utilized high key BW for a lot of flocking birds in flight, such as these Sandhills in Nebraska

As well as migrating Snow Geese


Flocking Dunlin

And I just added a high key edit to this shot of a Red-necked Grebe from my floating blind

Ivan Rothman said:

With all of these High Key photos, the background is lightened but often not the main subject. I think that often, the image has even more impact if the subject is lightened as well. Here are 2 photos - one with the lion properly exposed and one with the lion lightened. Which do you think looks better?View attachment 38287View attachment 38286

Click to expand...

They are both good. Personally, I'm more partial to number 2. However, when I do edits on my own B&W I tend to go toward the high contrast, lifted black point bordering on "crunchy" look. Therefore, take that into account with regards to which photo appealed to me the most. With that said, I would be happy with either.

I will jump in here, too. I happened to have a few candidates and it was/is a fun exercise. Here is a double-crested cormorant and a bald eagle that were otherwise headed for the trash.

ElenaH said:

I love a kind of "silver-look" or "white on white" like #20 and #27. But I need to consider to change my style and try high contrast! @Steve 's images are great!

A female leopard from Kwai, Botswana:
View attachment 38276

Ellies running to the waterhole, Nxai Pan, Botswana:
View attachment 38277

A scene from Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe:
View attachment 38278

A cheetah on the lookout from Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa/Botswana:
View attachment 38275

Two Brothers from Central Kalahari Game reserve, Botswana:

View attachment 38279

Click to expand...

Beautiful images!!