Orinagally converted to HDR using virtual copies in LR, then Edited with Silver Efex Pro 2.
Edited with Silver Efex Pro 2 to bring attention to the texture on her shirt.
Converted to B&W using Silver Efex Pro 2 to strengthen the highlights on her hair.

The internet is loaded with great black and white photography, I drool over images with incredible rich, tonal range that just pops on screen because they seem so poetic and tangible. After a few months learning how to work with Adobe Lightroom, I began to notice that knowing how to make good B&W conversions really pushes me to another level; but getting those black rich tones I like and keeping detail on the shadows is quite a challenge.

As I looked at some tutorials on post processing, I came across with Google's Nik Collection. I must admit I was not all that impressed simply because I'm just not keen towards Instagram-like presets; but I do admit that Silver Efex Pro 2 immediately caught my eye, so I decided to install it and give it a try.

I liked the results I got on these three portraits, I just couldn't be more excited when I noticed how the texture on her shirt began to come forward with just adjusting a slider; but is that ok? I guess I'm not used to the idea of not dealing with a struggle because it's terribly hard for me to embrace a tool when is convenient and helps me save time; so to justify myself using Silver Efex Pro 2, I decided it to analyze how those presets work and apply those principles when making B&W conversions using Adobe Lightroom. It's only fun if it's hard.