Challenges of B&W

I put first black and white film into my analog Nikon N65. Feels like a challenge, when i think about it. After all, there is slight difference in shooting in digital for B&W and on film in B&W. Not only the prepositions is what makes a difference, of course. it is the whole way you evaluate the image.

When image is about light and shadow, about luminosity contrast, is is the same in digital and analog. But a lot of B&W images are about contrast in color. And t is harder to shoot on film in this case. At least it is harder when you do not have the whole suite of color filters at your disposal. When I shoot digital, my RAW file has all the color information and I can use Channel Mixer in Photoshop, B&W Mix in LR or similar tool to darken reds or blues and lighten greens for example. Shooting film, I do not have this information the moment I press the shutter and all my software digital filters will not help anymore. It requires to develop a different eye for B&W, the challenge I now accept.

This image was shot in color, and there is strong contrast of light between white tree bark and dark blue water in the shadow. The conversion was very easy to do, no separate color corrections necessary.

Birch in B&W