This is another B&W print from the Mesquite Dunes of Death Valley. For some reason, I get a strange grain structure when converting my images taken with a 5Dmkii to Black and White. It gives this very digital-grain look. I’m unsure if it’s a combination of noise reduction, sharpness, and clarity mixed with a ton of contrast. I’ve noticed the best way to eliminate it is to use Topaz Denoise 2 on the image before processing. It kills most of the noise and gives a cleaner image to manipulate. That way, when you add contrast, you’re not increasing the contrast of the noise as well that’s embedded in the raw. Makes sense to me, at least. Works the same with HDR as well.
