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Photo Forum / Digital Photography / DSLR Cameras / September 2006What's the Secret?
What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this all over Pbase. Do you have to have a $5000.00 Dslr or just be good at Photoshop, or what? tx blah > What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? > http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this all over > Pbase. Do you have to have a $5000.00 Dslr or just be good at Photoshop, or > what? tx blah An ordinary SLR (Minolta 7i in this case) with an ordinary consumer lens can do that. The photographer is just very good at: -picking the light (why they call it "phot"ography). -good composition (this one breaks several "rules" but works) -subtle matching of patterns and textures The light he picks is always "generous" and well exposed. Even in this shot http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/57881209 that seems "all green" in the thumnail, the texture, light and contrast make the shot work. I suspect he did punch the colors/contrast a bit in PS, but that's of no real matter. For that to work, you have to have something strong in the first place. One of the best (IMO): http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/43122758 Why? Cheers, Alan  Signature-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm -- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm -- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin -- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch. Thanks for a quick reply, I feel that photo is one of the best due to leading edges and Rule of third divisions as well as color. My question is how can I "pick the light" to get those colors? They really make the photo! It's all over Pbase. Not any thing in particular with this guy- his page was the first one I hit when I decided to post the question to the experts! Yes I am new to Dslr. Thanks Again >> What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? >> http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this all [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > Cheers, > Alan > Thanks for a quick reply, I feel that photo is one of the best due to > leading edges and Rule of third divisions as well as color. > My question is how can I "pick the light" to get those colors? Dawn and dusk are the best times to take such photos, because the light is soft and at an angle, which creates contrast and depth to the light and colors. You can also get vivid colors by manipulations in LAB space. In Photoshop, convert to LAB, bring up the curves window, and increase the slopes of the a and b channels. Dan Margulis describes this technique (and a lot more) in his book "Photoshop LAB Color". Done judiciously, this can add richness and vibrancy to dull images. If overdone, you get the neon effect. SignatureJulian Vrieslander > Thanks for a quick reply, I feel that photo is one of the best due to > leading edges and Rule of third divisions as well as color. > My question is how can I "pick the light" to get those colors? They really > make the photo! It's all over Pbase. Not any thing in particular with this > guy- his page was the first one I hit when I decided to post the question to > the experts! Yes I am new to Dslr. Thanks Again It is a little bit counterintuitive, but too much light tends to wash out color or lose it in harsh shadows. You get the best color saturation on rainy days and shortly *after* sunset and shortly *before* sunrise. The picture in your link was taken at one of these times. There are times, of course, when the light you want is only available in the harsh light of mid-day, but those will not be as frequent as early morning and early evening shots. You also have to look for color and train your eye to see it. The only way you do that is through practice. Fortunately, with a DSLR practice is now a lot cheaper than it used to be. You have to avoid temptation, too. No matter how interesting a picture seems, if the light is bad, don't take the picture. Or at least never show it to anybody. > You have to avoid temptation, too. No matter how interesting a picture > seems, if the light is bad, don't take the picture. Or at least never > show it to anybody. Sage advice. I learned this rule early on, but now I _know_ it. When we're out-of-doors on a sunny day, the camera stays aay from 11-4pm for the most part. I've taken too many 'great shots' with perfect (IMHO) composition, just to get a very flat image. YMMV. >Thanks for a quick reply, I feel that photo is one of the best due to >leading edges and Rule of third divisions as well as color. >My question is how can I "pick the light" to get those colors? They really >make the photo! It's all over Pbase. Not any thing in particular with this >guy- his page was the first one I hit when I decided to post the question to >the experts! The single biggest "trick" is simply to not show people the shots where you didn't judge the light well. For each of my own shots that are lit as well as this persons', I have dozens where I've missed it, & I won't be showing them to anyone. ;) SignatureW . | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because \|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est ---^----^--------------------------------------------------------------- >> What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? >> http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > Cheers, > Alan Those are beauties, for certain. Alan neglected to mention: a big component of the "secret" is learning, and the time to practice and assimilate it. Every such trip from "What is ... ?" to "Aha!" takes a major investment of application and effort. More for some than for others, but there is a base level of energy required to accrue sufficient skills to take advantage of any kind of equipment, photographic and personal. SignatureFrank ess >>> What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? >>> http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > required to accrue sufficient skills to take advantage of any kind of > equipment, photographic and personal. It also seems to help to run around picking up all the litter first, that or he's a lot better with the cloning tool than that Reuter's photog. Signaturejer email reply - I am not a 'ten' >The light he picks is always "generous" and well exposed. Even in this >shot http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/57881209 that seems "all green" [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >One of the best (IMO): http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/43122758 Pacman! (Notice how the prow & window of the leftmost boat makes the eye? :) Gorgeous use of colour all through this person's gallery, & a really nice compositional interplay between textures in most of the shots. SignatureW . | ,. w , "Some people are alive only because \|/ \|/ it is illegal to kill them." Perna condita delenda est ---^----^--------------------------------------------------------------- > One of the best (IMO): http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/43122758 Best for colour, maybe, but also another lesson in how bad oversharpening can make an image look. >> One of the best (IMO): http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/43122758 > >Best for colour, maybe, but also another lesson in how bad >oversharpening can make an image look. I agree. It looks really unpleasant. But the photographer has some outstanding work on that site. Just go up one level to the gallery and you will see some truly beautiful shots: http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/cannockchase > What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? > http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this all > over Pbase. Do you have to have a $5000.00 Dslr or just be good at > Photoshop, or what? tx blah Over-cranking saturation produces these near-neon greens (usually a result of too much yellow). Contrast increase leads to the lack of foreground haze (among other means of accomplishing the same thing). This is not an extreme example, as it looks fairly close to what might be possible in reality...but some people go WAY over-board. The pink clouds may well be a sloppy symptom of cranking up the reds in this image. This image (by the same guy) has been EXTREMELY photoshopped i.e. saturation. WAY over-done: http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64558937 He appears to have done the same thing in the image you posted, but to a more extreme degree (cranking saturation and contrast in the foreground, and leaving it alone in the distant portions of the image scene). To me, this second image looks hopelessly fake... Literally taking on the infamous NEON green that comes from over-doing saturation in the yellow range of color. SignatureImages (Plus Snaps & Grabs) by Mark² at: www.pbase.com/markuson >> What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? >> http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this all [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > on the infamous NEON green that comes from over-doing saturation in > the yellow range of color. I should add, here, that his starting images are wonderful. I think he just got a bit carried away on a few of them. Some otherwise gorgeous images on his page though! SignatureImages (Plus Snaps & Grabs) by Mark² at: www.pbase.com/markuson >>What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? >>http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this all [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > infamous NEON green that comes from over-doing saturation in the yellow > range of color. Mark, I have seen such colors in real life under similar lighting conditions. I have seen "neon" greens often in Ireland and in Colorado (e.g. the West Maroon Wilderness), especially after a rain and the sun breaks out from behind the clouds. Roger >>> What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? >>> http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > Colorado (e.g. the West Maroon Wilderness), especially after a rain > and the sun breaks out from behind the clouds. Ya, me too. But it does appear that the second image was worked up rather heavily... SignatureImages (Plus Snaps & Grabs) by Mark² at: www.pbase.com/markuson > This image (by the same guy) has been EXTREMELY photoshopped i.e. > saturation. WAY over-done: [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > infamous NEON green that comes from over-doing saturation in the yellow > range of color. I don't think it (the impression) is impossible in reality., though it probably is PS-ed. Note the long shadows, hence possible yellow light. I've seen some similar scenes. I also suspect that one could get a similar result without Photoshop using Fuji 50 speed transparency film. Doug McDonald >> This image (by the same guy) has been EXTREMELY photoshopped i.e. >> saturation. WAY over-done: [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Doug McDonald Impossible in reality? No. Likely a heavily PS'd shot? Yes. SignatureImages (Plus Snaps & Grabs) by Mark² at: www.pbase.com/markuson >>> This image (by the same guy) has been EXTREMELY photoshopped i.e. >>> saturation. WAY over-done: [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Impossible in reality? No. > Likely a heavily PS'd shot? Yes. By the way... I write these comments not to slam the photog's shots, but to encourage those who look at their images--free of post-processing--that their base images aren't quite as comparatively bad as they may assume, at first glance. Professional photogs and expert amatuers are often expert at photoshop...sometimes even more so than they are expert photogs. SignatureImages (Plus Snaps & Grabs) by Mark² at: www.pbase.com/markuson > What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? > http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this all over > Pbase. Do you have to have a $5000.00 Dslr or just be good at Photoshop, or > what? tx blah Proper exposure. SignatureReality-Is finding that perfect picture and never looking back. www.gregblankphoto.com You guys are great! This is probably one of the kindest newsgroups I have ever used! I think maybe I will try some of the early morning / late evening shots with longer exposures and see what happens. I do have alot to learn, thanks for your help! > What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? > http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this all over > Pbase. Do you have to have a $5000.00 Dslr or just be good at Photoshop, > or what? tx blah > What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? > http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this all over > Pbase. Do you have to have a $5000.00 Dslr or just be good at Photoshop, > or what? tx blah There is an article ok Ken Rockwell's site on getting good colour which might be useful. http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/color.htm > What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? > http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this all over > Pbase. Do you have to have a $5000.00 Dslr or just be good at Photoshop, or > what? tx blah Looks like HDR. >> What's the Secret to getting shot with color this vivid? >> http://www.pbase.com/paskuk/image/64605975 I see photos like this all over >> Pbase. Do you have to have a $5000.00 Dslr or just be good at Photoshop, or >> what? tx blah >> > Looks like HDR. Or a graduated ND filter set against the top part of the sky alone. You can get results like that without either, though, by shooting RAW and making adjustments to exposure compensation, contrast, and saturation during raw conversion, without even entering Photoshop. You don't need a 5D for that, either -- a $600 Digital Rebel or equivalent would do. The hard part on that shot isn't getting the color, but shooting into what looks like a very bright sky without clipping it badly or mangling the rest of the image. SignatureZed Pobre <zed@resonant.org> a.k.a. Zed Pobre <zed@debian.org> PGP key and fingerprint available on finger; encrypted mail welcomed. |
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