Review Digital Camera World 05-29-2013

Digital Camera World

5 color photography mistakes every photographer makes (and how to fix them) May 28th 2013, 23:01 In most situations modern cameras do a great job of getting color right, but every now and again something goes wrong. In this article we explain why some color photography errors occur and how to avoid making such mistakes in the future. Color Photography Mistake No. 1: Incorrect white balance set Different light sources produce different colors of light, but our eyes and brain do a great job of correcting for these variations so we don’t see dramatic shifts in color when we walk from a sun-filled garden into a shady room and then look in a cupboard lit by a fluorescent tube. A digital camera’s sensor, however, needs to be told what the light source is to avoid the image having a color cast. That’s why cameras have a selection of white balance settings called things like Daylight, Cloudy and Shade that are specifically designed for used particular lighting conditions. There’s also an automatic white balance option that attempts to workout the color of the light and adjust the image processing accordingly. One of the downsides to using white balance settings other than the automatic option is that at some point you are likely to shoot an image with the wrong value set. This can produce quite extreme color casts. Using the Daylight white balance when shooting under tungsten light, for example, produces a very warm, orangey image. Meanwhile doing the reverse and shooting with the Tungsten white balance setting selected in daylight results in a very blue image. Fortunately, if you shoot raw files you can change the white balance setting quickly and easily using the raw conversion software. In many cases it’s just a matter of selecting the correct preset value from a list. Raw files contain all the date that’s available for interpreting the image from a sequence of zeros and ones into a visible picture, so switching between white balance values has no consequences for image quality, it’s the same as doing it in-camera before taking the shot. JPEG files can also be adjusted but they have less information and as result image quality can suffer with a loss of gradation and the introduction of banding. In some cases the JPEG file may not have enough color data to adjust the color sufficiently and get the hues just right. The lesson here is to shoot raw files, or raw and JPEG files simultaneously, whenever possible. PAGE 1 – Color Photography Mistake No. 1: In correct white balance set PAGE 2 – Color Photography Mistake No. 2: Image has no atmosphere PAGE 3 – Color Photography Mistake No. 3: Mixed lighting PAGE 4 – Color Photography Mistake No. 4: colors don’t suit the scene PAGE 5 – Color Photography Mistake No. 5: colors washed out READ MORE Color Theory: the best color combinations for photography (and how to take it further) Color Photography Explained: simple tips for making your brightest ever images What is color temperature: free photography cheat sheet Using white balance settings that work every time Creative flash photography ideas: how to get artistic with your flower photos May 28th 2013, 10:28 Find out how to give your plant and flower photos a boost with this easy off-camera flash technique. This simple creative flash photography idea can be shot in any home studio, hassle-free. The essence of good plant photography is about capturing the character of your specimen. Think of a plant as a personality and seek to express that in the same way a portrait photographer will strive to reveal the individuality of their subject. With this thistle, we wanted to accentuate its intrinsic spikiness. To achieve this, we decided to backlight the specimen to create a strong highlight around its edges. We shot it against a deep black background (light absorbent velvet) to make the subject stand out. To create the backlit effect we positioned a Nikon SB800 flashgun, connected to our Nikon D200 SLR via a SC-17 TTL Remote Cord, behind our subject, and then pointed it back towards the camera. Pointing the flash towards the camera also caused some unsightly lens flare, so we positioned a piece of card between the thistle and the camera to act as a shield. This is a simple but hugely effective technique that's successfully enhanced the character of this thistle. Why not try it with botanical subjects of your own? How to shoot and edit your flash photography flower photos The set-up Using a makeshift home studio, we positioned our flash behind the specimen. We connected the flash to the camera using a remote cable and pointed it back towards the lens to create a backlight effect.   Instant feedback Using Lightroom 3's Tethered Shooting feature, we were able to connect our camera to our computer. This is a great way to work in a home studio and the instant visual feedback on a large monitor proved useful.   Clean as a thistle Moving our file seamlessly into Lightroom 3's Develop mode, we processed our RAW file, tweaking the tones, colours and contrast. If you're not using Lightroom 3, Adobe Camera Raw will be just as good. READ MORE Adobe Lightroom: what every photographer must know about the ‘alternative Photoshop’ Flash photography tips: external flash techniques anyone can understand Flash photography made easy: master everything from pop-up flash t0 multiple flashguns 25 flower photography tips for beginners

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