Deep in Devout Discussion

[Mongo]

A candid on the beach walk. It is unfortunate that the hight of the grasses intruded a little too much into the image.

D800E and 200-500mm

[Airy]

Right. Maybe slightly desaturate the greens ?

[Mongo]

thanks for confirming what Mongo suspected Airy. Because the main subjects are largely black, the choice is to turn the image into a mono or take the colour out of the grass and hope it is less distracting and merges better with the predominant colours. Here are both - any suggestions ??

[Airy]

Both versions work. On the B&W one, I'd suggest you further tweak the color channels so that the faces stand out even more. And the foaming waves will probably require masking, since they are white: the ones on the top right are too bright, and should get to the level of the middles ones, IMHO.

[Mongo]

big thanks Airy - really appreciate the considered advice. Mongo also suspected the male's face was a little "flat" and waves behind a little bright

[Airy]

The subtle contrast between beard and background wave is quite OK though. Neither blending nor standing out.