thanks... the phoenix signs were someone else's work though. Just having an overhead projector is like a license to print billboards... and the first amendment's a a license to post them...
She does the Clinton Cackle way better than the SNL woman.
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
Beautiful and profound in its own way.
So unlike Hillary Clinton.
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
Did you notice the banner at the top of the page went to orchid ads, I assume because of this posting?
Beats the McCain and Gun Training ads they've been associating with this site, I assume because of the other postings.
shrrrr
· 1 year ago
Earlier today there were google ads that you would not believe. As they appeared, I tried to point them out using this comments feature and my posts kept disappearing. Whatever. It was fixed and the ads disapeared, thankfully.
Seems the most current subjectline of the blog determines the kind of google ads displayed. When the word 'assassination' was in the title of the lastest post some of the ads were waaaayyyy over the top. I'm glad it's been fixed, somehow.
cowboyneok
· 1 year ago
The black velvet background is perfect. It really shows off the orchid.
Jump to the Left
· 1 year ago
Exquisite. I love the background. I have trouble with reds, too.
msirt
· 1 year ago
John, did you try to adjust the hue with iPhoto tools (I think I remember you said you had a powerbook)? There's a lot you can do with hue and saturation in that program.
jr
· 1 year ago
this would make a great print
annetteboardman
· 1 year ago
The black background sets off the details of the orchid, but the colour was redder in the one with the room's background. I don't know if it is because you adjusted the colour more for the other one, but htis seemed really rather bluish. Stunning orchid, though.
bonho
· 1 year ago
Ohhhhh yeahhhhhh, nothing like serious orchid porn. Beeeyootiful.
Bush_Bites
· 1 year ago
Red State Update on California Gay Marriage decision:
Great shot John. I do a lot of digital photography and flowers with vivd colors have always seemed to be a problem especially with brilliant reds and deep blues. I always end up having to re-adjust the color using Adobe Photoshop when making prints. While digital technology has come a long way, there still seems to be problems as far as color correction, but sooner or later manufactureres will be able to address this problem. if your going to use a black backround, you might want to try using a ploarizing filter as it does seem to help. Another option would be using a halogen light as a light source rather than a flash if that's what your using.
tlsintx
· 1 year ago
that's a gorgeous flower!
hawkseye
· 1 year ago
I knowof one professional photographer who has gone back to film. She says she gets better photos.
bunnyjump
· 1 year ago
I'm in desktop publishing and as far as color concerns there many variables regarding color as presented on the computer screen..
Unless you're a professional color retoucher with a calibrated monitor (and with the correct light conditions/graphics display/graphics card, yada, yada...) the average computer screen won't reflect true color (and depending on the screen - the exact same image will display color differently screen to screen).
Then there's the issue of format and how you save the image, the most typical jpeg:- jpeg images are "lossy" meaning if you save a digital image as a jpeg some color info is lost in order to reduce the file size (reduced file size = faster downloading and printing).
In a nutshell, it's impossible to get true color reproduction on the net. But your orchid images are beautiful as they are.
Rocky37
· 1 year ago
John -- your doing a great job with the photography and the black background is perfect. As to the color problem I'm thinking that the light source is causing the problem. Digital cameras don't have as much trouble as film had with color temperature of the light. Daylight has a color temperature of about 6000K (blue) while incandescent light is much lower at about 3200k (yellow). Fluorescent light is lacking in the red spectrum so the color red will not reproduce well because the light is lacking that color. "Grow light" Fluorescent lights are warmer in color and are closer to the 6000K daylight. The photo in this post tends to be more to the blue side making me think the light was from the "grow lights" you might use. Adding some incandescent light to the mix will brighten up the red color you are looking for. It won't take much but you'll have to play with the mix to get it balanced to you're liking.
Rob Mule
· 1 year ago
Maybe John should consider some hard working white velvet as another solid American background...
JamesR
· 1 year ago
That is one great shot of an orchid, though sadly or not it does not look like Elvis to me at all. Thanks for all the orchids on Fridays! A welcome break from the Crap mankind does.
I believe the phenomenon you are dealing with involves the Automatic White Balance, or "AWB" in Geek. It is when your camera averages out all the colors it sees and sets the average to 'white.' So - if you have more yellow or blue lighting it will set a light yellow or blue color to look more whitish. In a nutshell. SO - by removing all distracting background colors you made the camera concentrate on the light from your subject and thus got a truer picture. Regardless that someone saw Elvis in it.
Depending on your camera you can tweak this setting, if you learn how, or just light or provide different backgrounds for your subjects appropriately. ...Post your camera make and model for a better answer (!)
Casual Googling gave me this first link: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/whit... - Very infomative. I am a big fan of Steve's Digicams, to compare and understand different cameras (like if you had to use someone else's and they lost the manual, etc.) - http://www.steves-digicams.com and Digital Photography Review http://www.dpreview.com/ Links everywhere to tutorials and guides. Steve's Digicams probably has your camera and if you read the full review you will probably recognize what exactly happened. WARNING: it is addictive. Good Luck
Jim Olson
· 1 year ago
John, any way you can remove the gun and shooting ads from the banner at the top of the page?
chowderSF
· 1 year ago
OMG, it is a beaut.
cosanostradamus
· 1 year ago
. John,
Not sure how sophisticated you or your camera are, but, assuming you know nothing but still have a good camera:
Many optical imaging devices, including film & digital cameras, have a perceivable tendency toward the blue end of the spectrum, as opposed to what the human eye is used to seeing by itself. Artificial light generally makes this "blue-shift" even worse, especially flash. You can correct this with Photoshop, or you can get a better initial image by using filters on your camera, if it will mount them.
Although digital cameras experience less of this "blue-shift," they still do not see as we do. To get more "life-like" images, try using clear, daylight, skylight, haze, ultraviolet, polarizing, neutral-density, and/or infrared & ultraviolet pass filters. Other filters can be used in combination with them, to bring out reds, yellows or greens, and make your pictures look more like what you see in real life. "Warmer" is better than "cooler," with many subjects. If you get it on the original image, you have more to work with later on. Happy shooting.
Check with your local camera store, or review these links on filters:
I not two posts have addressed some of John's questions. A critical piece is how sophisticated the color balance adjustments of his camera are. If it is one of the newer SLR digitals, check the menus for AWB. There will probably be a whole series of predefined options, ranging from the natural daylight color balance to the lower end of tungsten lighting.
Our brains adjust for the color balance of the environment we are in, but the camera does not, and cannot, unless it is told to, either through the use of various color filters as on older model SLR film cameras, or through digitized programs that allow white balance during the shot on newer digital models.
If your camera has a really good AWB program, it will have in the AWB menu an option to autosense the color balance. This will help in many cases, and provide better color balance, but you will achieve best results if you buy yourself a nice large 18% neutral gray card. This is what professional photographers have used for users when setting up light balance info for their shots. Put the card (or cards) behind the orchid. Then run through the AWB white balance sensing procedure, so it is set in the camera as current default. Then try the shot.
I do a lot of close up macro photography of stamps and other small collectible items as part of my hobby business. In addition to all of the above, I invested in several very large high end compact flourescent bulbs that are at about 5000K and 92% color balance true. Using those three lights to surround my closeup set up, plus the techniques described above, usually yields good results. Occasionally I have to tweak out a little extra green with Photoshop. Flourescent, even the newer models with truer white color I bought, still tend to put extra green n the visible spectrum. Here again, our brains adjust this out, the camera does not, unless a filter or AWB feature is used to balance. Tungsted, e.g. puts a LOT of red into the shot. Sometimes you leave this to get extra drama in the shots. Sometimes it just looks orange read and ruins the shot, depending on context and what you want.
Hope some of this, added to the other good advice, helps.
paulbe
· 1 year ago
That really is a truly beautiful orchid John.
Cynicor
· 1 year ago
Some digital sensors also handle red better than others. Even with my farily good camera (D300), I'm often blowing out reds. You're also running up not just against the human eye's perception of the flower, but of gamut issues. Sensors capture a certain color space. Montiors capture a different color space. Printers can each handle different color spaces.
Instead of doing auto-white-balance, if your camera can shoot RAW, do that and adjust it by eye in your photo processing software. The lighting is nice, but just a bit flat. Try lighting from one side to create dramatic shots. (http://trupin.smugmug.com/gallery/824734_LQr7A#...)
ShirleyGoodnessanMercy
· 1 year ago
Wow, now THAT'S an orchid photo!!!! Magnificent!
liberaldemdave
· 1 year ago
don't know about your camera, john, but my digital has a setting to emulate "chrome" film. i've noticed that i get much colors and a much greater depth of saturation, across the spectrum, but particularly in the red and blue families.
scottinsf
· 1 year ago
Lovely!
Busboy
· 1 year ago
Forward, HO!, John. Someone must fiddle whilst old Rome does burn........
All Comments
Here's what greeted Bush & McCain in Phoenix:
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com/2008/05/by-t...
Thanks to the Phoenix freewayblogger...
You're an inspiration to us all.
http://thumbsnap.com/v/xd406b0y.jpg
http://thumbsnap.com/v/FbNtA9wX.jpg
And, as a bonus, now all the google ads are about orchids!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLhPQGW3orY&watc...
LOL
So unlike Hillary Clinton.
Beats the McCain and Gun Training ads they've been associating with this site, I assume because of the other postings.
Seems the most current subjectline of the blog determines the kind of google ads displayed. When the word 'assassination' was in the title of the lastest post some of the ads were waaaayyyy over the top. I'm glad it's been fixed, somehow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3fv=_ymoUF-iGNE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGlg1r-8_P8
Unless you're a professional color retoucher with a calibrated monitor (and with the correct light conditions/graphics display/graphics card, yada, yada...) the average computer screen won't reflect true color (and depending on the screen - the exact same image will display color differently screen to screen).
Then there's the issue of format and how you save the image, the most typical jpeg:- jpeg images are "lossy" meaning if you save a digital image as a jpeg some color info is lost in order to reduce the file size (reduced file size = faster downloading and printing).
In a nutshell, it's impossible to get true color reproduction on the net. But your orchid images are beautiful as they are.
I believe the phenomenon you are dealing with involves the Automatic White Balance, or "AWB" in Geek. It is when your camera averages out all the colors it sees and sets the average to 'white.' So - if you have more yellow or blue lighting it will set a light yellow or blue color to look more whitish. In a nutshell. SO - by removing all distracting background colors you made the camera concentrate on the light from your subject and thus got a truer picture. Regardless that someone saw Elvis in it.
Depending on your camera you can tweak this setting, if you learn how, or just light or provide different backgrounds for your subjects appropriately. ...Post your camera make and model for a better answer (!)
Casual Googling gave me this first link: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/whit... - Very infomative. I am a big fan of Steve's Digicams, to compare and understand different cameras (like if you had to use someone else's and they lost the manual, etc.) - http://www.steves-digicams.com and Digital Photography Review http://www.dpreview.com/ Links everywhere to tutorials and guides. Steve's Digicams probably has your camera and if you read the full review you will probably recognize what exactly happened. WARNING: it is addictive. Good Luck
John,
Not sure how sophisticated you or your camera are, but, assuming you know nothing but still have a good camera:
Many optical imaging devices, including film & digital cameras, have a perceivable tendency toward the blue end of the spectrum, as opposed to what the human eye is used to seeing by itself. Artificial light generally makes this "blue-shift" even worse, especially flash. You can correct this with Photoshop, or you can get a better initial image by using filters on your camera, if it will mount them.
Although digital cameras experience less of this "blue-shift," they still do not see as we do. To get more "life-like" images, try using clear, daylight, skylight, haze, ultraviolet, polarizing, neutral-density, and/or infrared & ultraviolet pass filters. Other filters can be used in combination with them, to bring out reds, yellows or greens, and make your pictures look more like what you see in real life. "Warmer" is better than "cooler," with many subjects. If you get it on the original image, you have more to work with later on. Happy shooting.
Check with your local camera store, or review these links on filters:
OVERVIEW: Digital Photography
"How a Digital Camera Works"
INTRODUCTION: Cameras & Filters
"Filter options for digital cameras"
ADVANCED: Special Filters
"Color Intensifiers"
BUYING FILTERS: Online Discount Camera Shopping
FilterHouse.com
B&H Photo
eBay Camera & Photo
.
Our brains adjust for the color balance of the environment we are in, but the camera does not, and cannot, unless it is told to, either through the use of various color filters as on older model SLR film cameras, or through digitized programs that allow white balance during the shot on newer digital models.
If your camera has a really good AWB program, it will have in the AWB menu an option to autosense the color balance. This will help in many cases, and provide better color balance, but you will achieve best results if you buy yourself a nice large 18% neutral gray card. This is what professional photographers have used for users when setting up light balance info for their shots. Put the card (or cards) behind the orchid. Then run through the AWB white balance sensing procedure, so it is set in the camera as current default. Then try the shot.
I do a lot of close up macro photography of stamps and other small collectible items as part of my hobby business. In addition to all of the above, I invested in several very large high end compact flourescent bulbs that are at about 5000K and 92% color balance true. Using those three lights to surround my closeup set up, plus the techniques described above, usually yields good results. Occasionally I have to tweak out a little extra green with Photoshop. Flourescent, even the newer models with truer white color I bought, still tend to put extra green n the visible spectrum. Here again, our brains adjust this out, the camera does not, unless a filter or AWB feature is used to balance. Tungsted, e.g. puts a LOT of red into the shot. Sometimes you leave this to get extra drama in the shots. Sometimes it just looks orange read and ruins the shot, depending on context and what you want.
Hope some of this, added to the other good advice, helps.
Instead of doing auto-white-balance, if your camera can shoot RAW, do that and adjust it by eye in your photo processing software. The lighting is nice, but just a bit flat. Try lighting from one side to create dramatic shots. (http://trupin.smugmug.com/gallery/824734_LQr7A#...)