Asher, I had no problems with what Alain had prescribed either. It was interesting to see...
I just like to see a pretty decent tonal range in my B&W photographs, from pure white to full black that's all it comes down to really.
I too look for that, or I feel the medium is wasted in most circumstances.
The fault in the processing of the picture is not the lightening of the hair, but the application of
global changes that alter each part of the image, ignoring local context. I take pains to allocate interest and significance by assigning tonalities, contrast and detail, (or loss of the same) to different components. Hardly ever do we merely need to make changes that alter the entire picture in one direction or another, except in fun snapshots sent by one's phone.
The careful ranking of elements is to me
the work of the picture once one arrives home and should be considered 75% of one's creative effort. The exception is the carefully preplanned image with detailed studio lighting and apt character lens-choice, to
perfectly build one's image beforehand.
A good photograph being worked on doesn't lie there anesthetized, passively accepting our smart-assed manipulations! On the contrary, even nascent art is alert to the balance of things in its domain. I think of a picture being processed as "
protecting its life force, meaning and essential character" and being able to counter one's quick moves with reaction to neutralize any improvements with some other effect which degrades the work and so humbles us So I'd take Alain's alteration of her headscarf as just an early aggressive move in a chess game between him and the picture, in which the picture then put his queen in check. It's now Alain's move to rescue her.
Asher
