Most of my images go through several stages
RAW capture,
Conversion with minor white balance & exposure adjustments,
Color & tonal contrast adjustments,
Adjusting to my Final Vision
Often one or more of the last three steps amount to nothing,
I try for a perfect in-camera capture
Including no P-P crop, even with the D800E’s 36 MP
But – I usually check them all out just in case
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A Time Capsule
Untouched since 1957
Abandoned Silk Mill, Lonaconing, MD
Tripod
Not visible in the ambient light
On camera flash
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Click to enlarge
I find that the mood I want for an image is best achieved by converting my “best” color image (Color Efex Pro 4) to black & white (Silver Efex Pro 2) and then blending that best color version with the B&W using Photoshop’s luminosity blending mode.
I use SEP2 to create a B&W with a mood and transfer the mood to the color via the blending.
I might want light & airy
Or dark and moody
Lots of detail
Or muted and soft
Harsh contrast & structure
Or not
While there are ways other than SEP2 + blending to accomplish this, I find it easier to create a mood to match my vision using this approach than anything else – thus far
To me, B&W is inherently moodier and more expressive than color (& thus easier for me to envision & feel)
I often will make several very different B&W versions and combine each with the same color version to create a wide range of final images from the same capture
It depends on my “mood”. 
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The above image is a close up of this cabinet
I stood there in the dark (with a flashlight)
Imagining some 55 years back when someone stood in my place
Looking at this same scene
As he went about his job
This was near what appeared to be the mill’s machine repair area
Nearby was a wrench over two feet long
Click either image to enlarge
A very different B&W style from the one used in the close up.
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Tags: Art Photography, Photography, Photography Composition, Photography How To, Photography Tips, Photography Tutorial
