CONCEPTUAL PORTRAITS : Editing :

I took my images on a digital camera in colour. I then edited them in photoshop to make them black and white and accentuate shadow and highlight.

Step 1: The first thing I did was open the image up I wanted to change in Photoshop.

Step 2: I then duplicated the layer.

 Step 3: I then went to Filter > Blur > Surface Blur. This was to make the skin softer and look more flawless. I wanted to create this effect so that the images looked soft and feminine.

Step 4: I then went to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels. This is to create a levels layer so that I can see where I am erasing to erase the surface blur on the background of the image. I wanted to do this so that the surface blur is only on the skin, not the background, so the skin looks softer and gives the image depth.

I then used the eraser tool and erased the surface blur on the background of the image so only the skin looks soft.

After the surface blur had been erased, I deleted the levels layer as it was just an aid for me to see what I was doing.

Step 5: I then added another levels layer on top of the image, and altered them so that the shadows were really dark.

I then went to Control > I - this creates a layer mask on top of my Levels layer. This mask is black, so I needed to use a white paintbrush to reveal the alterations I made with the levels layer. I want to do this to only show the shadows such as the crease where the legs are bent, the shadows under the fingers etc.

I then used the paintbrush tool and lowered the opacity down so that when I painted onto the black layer mask in white, it would apply it gradually and I could build up the effect as I wanted. 

Step 6 : I then added a curves layer and accentuated the highlights - the opposite to what I did in step 5. I created another layer mask and only highlighted certain areas, such as the top of the hands, the shine on the finger nails, etc.

Here's what my two layer masks looked like when I had accentuated shadow and highlight.

Step 7 : The next step was to make my image black and white, so I went to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black and White. I altered the sliders to create the tone that I wanted within the image by adding more red and less yellow etc.

Step 8: The final step is to accentuate the shadows and highlights further. I added a curves layer and moved the curve up and down to create darker shadows and brighter highlights.

Before & After :

I think the before and after look a bit extreme next to each other, the shadows and highlights on the final picture look quite false, but when I see the black and white picture on it's own I really like it and think it captures inspiration well from Edward Weston, Bill Brandt and Horst. P. Horst.