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[SG] Photography (Part 2)

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The
greatest problems are with some of the slide films such as Fuji Velvia (and
their are others).  These films are marketed as being 'hot.'  They boost
color saturation and contrast beyond 'reality.'  I did my last MWS talk
using slide comparisons with Velvia and Kodachrome.  Velvia can make even
some mousy, ugly peachy pinks look like vivid pinks, they make slightly
green throats look like deep lime green and generally boost all the colors
and contrast. (They take great vacation photos though.) I personally think
taking flower pictures with this film is only slightly below using
computers to change the colors as far as being unethical. Having said this,
there are certain flowers, especially some pinks, that look to my eye more
accurate in shade when shot on Velvia than with Kodachrome, so it's a case
by case, flower by flower issue. It depends on your purpose, I certainly
would want my catalogs to represent as closely as possible the true color
of the flowers. If I was doing an "art calendar" or book I may opt for
boosted colors for dramatic effect.

Lastly, simply consider the whole process.  We are asking silver grains
mixed in layers if gelatin to respond to different wavelengths of light the
same way our eyes do.  Nothing tells silver to not respond to UV or
infrared for instance, these are filtered in the films although excessive
UV can be a problem still even then. Our eyes tend to balance colors in
ways films can't - we see colors under floursecent and incandescent bulbs
far better than film does, for instance.  We however, expect three layers
of color dyes; cyan, magenta and yellow to reproduce the entire wide and
varied range of colors our eyes perceive.  It doesn't upset me that they
often fail to get the color just right; it amazes me that they get it so
close as often as they do!

Tim Fehr       Eau Claire, WI      USDA Zone 3-4      AHS Region 2

P.S.  And Rich is entirely right in saying that taking flowers in shade,
the time of day, the color of the light, the color of the objects around
the subject all also affect the color of your pictures.  (Yes, don't wear
bright colors when taking close up pictures, these are reflected in your
flowers - if you want your whites to look pink, then where red to
photograph them, but otherwise...)

Timothy J. Fehr" <fehrtj@UWEC.EDU
Sherryl Sandersfeld (list owner)
Norman, Oklahoma zone 7a
s*@ionet.net
http://www.lehnherr.com/shadegardens
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