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special color techniques
G. Donald Bain 2008-Sep-15 04:54:00
Sunset and sunrise provide a natural color extravaganza on a regular
basis. But they are hard to shoot - tremendous dynamic range. So shoot
with bracketed exposures (quickly, the light changes fast) and use
tone mapping to bring it all together.
Even scenes with subtle colors can form the basis for a vivid image
using high dynamic range techniques. In his excellent book "The HDRI
Handbook" Christian Bloch describes it as "a symbiosis as well as the
pinnacle of both fields: HDR photography and panorama photography" and
warns "So, it's just about the hardest thing you can possibly do with
a camera."
Feel like a challenge? Use HDRI to bring out hidden color. It is
incredible what can be done, all the color lurking in some subjects.
Or go wild enhancing the colors. There is nothing in the rules that
says your panoramas have to be true to life. Photoshop gives you lots
of opportunities for color manipulation, from subtle to crazy. Change
the mood with a blue cast, or sepia for an old fashioned feel.
Selectively enhance colors, or wipe them out to grayscale leaving only
what you want to emphasize. Rotate the color wheel, invert the colors,
ramp up saturation, use special filters. Use your artistic license and
add drama to mundane scenes.
Rainbows are another colorful challenge. Droplets of water in bright
sunlight, whether from a waterfall or a garden sprinkler, makes a
rainbow. It is also possible to photograph sparkling droplets three
times through red, then green, then blue filters (or the digital
equivalent) and combine them. The static parts of the scene will look
normal, but the bright droplets don't match up so they show as either
red or blue or green.
Digital cameras allow us to capture light beyond the visible spectrum.
With a little modification (or a special camera) you can shoot in
ultraviolet or infrared. These are striking as monochrome (or tinted)
images, or can be combined with visible light for false color.
More ideas, please, anyone?
Don