Rich color

[dan_j_bruse]

<p>I see such full and rich colors in the morning and evening sky and it is captured so well by many Photo.net users, I am wondering what I need to do to enrich my shots. I assume that the exposure length is a big part of the process. I have a 2 stop (I believe) polarizing filter for my canon t1i. Any suggestions are appriciated. Thanks</p>

[colin carron]

<p>Some of the shots you have seen may have been achieved in camera and some by Photoshop or a mixture of the two. So here are some techniques with the PS ones grouped separately.<br />In-camera techniques : Slight under-exposure of half a stop or more (though this is tricky with sunsets as expososure can depend on how much of the foreground you want to capture). In practice bracketing is the safest option using exposure compensation for a range of exposures either side of the 'correct' one.<br />Use of a polariser as you mention will help to darken skies.<br />Use of ND grads can sometimes help to darken skies but will make the sky tend to look rather grey if overdone.<br />Use of colour filters such as Cokin (these usually need to be used sparingly as the stronger versions tend to look artificial - but each to his taste).<br />Post-processing (using photoshop) : use of the levels function to increase contrast and also colour saturation. This is usually fair enough but can be overdone..<br />Increasing colour saturation - this is the easiest way to get vibrant colours and, like the coloured filters mentioned, needs to be used sparingly or it quickly looks over the top.<br />If you want your shots to look natural then avoid the colour filters and too much increase of colour saturation. In my view getting the initial exposure 'right' is the basic in-camera requirement. Polarisers usually help as does a light touch with photoshop.</p>

[steven_f1]

<p>Much of what Colin said is correct but he missed one thing. Set the White balance manually or set it to daylight. Do not use Auto White balance. if set to Auto the camera will adjust the white balance to compensate for the strong reds and oranges in the sky and you can end up with a picture with minimal color. If you set the white balance to daylight it will use a white balance setting appropriate for mid day and the strong reds and oranges will appear in the picture very close to how you see them. </p>

<p>For exposure I pick a location that I want exposed correctly (typically the brightest spot) and I use the cameras spot meter to set the exposure for that location . I then review a test image and fine tune the exposure to my liking. I also use the RGB histogram to verify I don't overexpose the reds. Since you will be in a low light situation using a tripod is a good idea.</p>

[colin carron]

<p>Steve you are quite right. Being used to film for so many years I tend to forget white balance. I shoot using auto white balance and adjust in RAW. This works quite well but your suggestion is undoubtedly the better way of doing it.</p>

[dan_j_bruse]

<p>Thank you Colin and Steven for your detailed responses. I have a long way to go, but intend to enjoy the journey. Thanks again. Dan</p>

[david_senesac]

<p><br />Dan >>>"I see such full and rich colors in the morning and evening sky and it is captured so well by many Photo.net users..."</p>

<p>Actually the status quo has become jack up saturation and contrast from whatever natural colors were experienced to as high as might be believable by others. It is refreshing to occasionally see color images rendered naturally. Most manipulated not surprisingly are sunsets, sunrises, dawn, and dusk skies. In fact because many of those manipulating images have modest experience as to what is and what is not natural, possible and not. The results of many are well beyond natural despite the usual stroking of others with the same style.</p>

<p>David Senesac<br /><a href="http://www.davidsenesac.com">http://www.davidsenesac.com</a></p>

[colin carron]

<p>Dan, perhaps the most important thing is to be there at the right moment. I had a good friend (now sadly passed away) who used to say that his cheapest and most valuable piece of photographic equipment was an alarm clock. Here is a shot (not manipulated) of a sunrise through sea mist taken many tears ago on film in days when I had much less clue about photography than I do now.</p><div></div>

[g dan mitchell]

<p>There isn't a simple answer to the general question, but there can be specific answers in a given case. Could you post one of your photographs that you have in mind? Some of us can offer some ideas about how to work with it.</p>

<p>To comment on the previous post (that includes the image so evocative of the Monet "sunrise" paintings!), being there at the right time is, indeed, very important. Being open to the possibilities of the scene is also critical. However, that isn't enough. There are most certainly a range of techniques that are brought to bear on prints of images of even the most naturally-beautiful scenes that make them look the way they do.</p>

<p>Dan</p>