Len: technique question for you

[Anonymous]

I've noticed that a lot of your tank photos are very dark, but still very colorful (not sure of the technical lingo for that...good color range?). Do you overexpose by a stop or do anything special in post-production?

 

[wetworx101]

Are you asking anyone in particular? Without looking at a photo in particular, I couldn't tell you what they most likely did. There are many ways to achieve the same result. The features you might be referring to in particular are the white balance, color saturation, and the exposure. Usually white balance and color saturation are not manually adjustable except for the higher end cams. I have a couple nikons and I can manipulate the white balance (same thing as the K ratings on a computer monitor), to give me more of a certain color or to compensate for unnatural lighting (a flash). This can sometimes result in colors being caught that arent normally visible. Color saturation is like the simple color adjustment on your TV. Examples of low-no saturation would be the B&W or sepiatone modes on many cameras. Oversaturation can result in colors bleeding and making percieved 'lines' fuzzy, especially the red hues. The exposure, I shouldnt have to explain that one, besides being a comprimise between affecting depth of field and speed, (manipulation of the aperture and shutter), technically will absorb more chrominence (color of light) as it absorbs luminence (magnitude), but usually will not end up makng a photos colors change from what you might percieve with a naked eye, although keep in mind that while your eyeball may have trouble picking up color as things get darker, a camera can pick up colors in near dark by just having a longer exposure. I have taken long exposure photos in near darkness, and while I may percieve very little color at these levels (human limited nightvision kicks in so everything ends up bluer/greener), the camera picks up full color as if it were daytime. And as if the camera didnt have enough to manipulate, I have taken very dark photos (wanted a high speed for movement, yet not very much light & didnt want to use flash), and while my cam wouldnt show anything more then a picture of shades of black...I used adobe photoshop to "raise the lights" to a level that looked like daytime. Now, for some reason, when I manipulate photos like this, the software seems to make the colors extra gaudy (long explanation as to why, but it is actually quite natural if you think about it, if you try to raise the luminence of a photo, the chroma will be enhanced as well, even though it may not be needed). And the methods manipulation dont end there...

 

[Len]

Hmmm, I didn't realize my photos were dark. I have my monitor calibrated to 2.0 gamma (between 1.8 for web and 2.2 for publishing).

Anyhow, there's quite a few steps I take to saturate my photos. When I was shooting with my Fuji S1, I had the color setting on high. My D1X has naturally saturated photos as well. I try to go to the slowest shutter speed I can as I find it creates a more saturated image. I will sometimes even set the EV to a few stops below and "overexpose" the image. In post processing, I avoid saturation adjustments as much as possible, but do plenty of curve adjustments in PS to get a more contrasty, snappy image. Most of the time, it's a standard "S" curve where the shadows are bumped down a bit, mids bumped up, and highs bumped down. I may do some channel mixing if need be, but most of the time that is done to get the color balance right.

 

[Len]

BTW, sorry for my delayed response. Reefs.org has been keeping me VERY busy this week

Oh, I also should recommend trying a polarizer if you want more saturation. It eliminates the glare and defraction when shooting through glass. Shooting dead straight ahead with no ambient lighting (other then tank lights) also helps saturation/contrast.

 

[Anonymous]

BTW, sorry for my delayed response. Reefs.org has been keeping me VERY busy this week

Oh, I also should recommend trying a polarizer if you want more saturation. It eliminates the glare and defraction when shooting through glass. Shooting dead straight ahead with no ambient lighting (other then tank lights) also helps saturation/contrast.

Thanks a ton for the input Len & wetworx!

I was wondering about a polarizer, but my polarizer just plain darkens the image...it's like putting sunglasses on the camera. For outdoor stuff it's fine, but for tank stuff I just haven't gotten the knack for it yet. :?

 

[Anonymous]

Holy cow, do I have a lot to learn.

Guys, I need some help too. Like a pointer to a good book on digital photography that includes both composition and technical information. Anything out there like that?

HD

 

[Len]

HD,

I'm not a classically educated photographer, so I'm not too familiar with "text books" for photography. To be honest, I learned most of the technical stuff either online or through trial and error. Composition and perspective come naturally to me, but I am trying to experiment with different "styles" now by studying the geometries of photos I admire as well as experimenting with my camera (ah, the beauty of digital!). It REALLY gives you a new perspective on how one sees life, and has given new found appreciation of many things.

Here's 3 sites that'll get you started in the right direction:

www.dpreview.com
Good site for information about digital gear as well as a nice glossary of technical terms:

http://luminous-landscape.com/
A landscape site, but has A LOT of great info for photographic techniques and definitions in general.

www.masters-of-photography.com/summaries.html
Good site to get acquinted with renowned photographers

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Len! Gonna play with my camera now. 8)