Bright Colours

So many of my photos from this Summer are dull, due to lack of bright sunlight, that I took to making pastiche "fine art" photos, flattening the tones even more and using contrast to the best effect.

These are not photos that will be of commercial interest ever, I expect, but the exercise of learning to play with gamma and contrast in Irfanview has brought several benefits. Most of all, it helps to learn about using negative space in a photo.

However, I still prefer the gaudy flowers and insects captured during a bright May when I first bought a zoom lens with built-in macro function.

Here's to more colour from now on...

Custom White Balance

Sometimes everyday colours can be a bit bland.

I often use custom white balance setting in my Digital Rebel to create vivid in-camera effects. The tip is to choose a photo already on the card that is relatively lacking in detail but that imparts a hue to the new photos. Experimentation is essential, as I have not worked out a system that can predict what colour tones are the final result.

It's noteworthy that taking a shot of the black plastic in a car and using that dull photo can increase the richness of reds. A scientist would be able to explain why this is so.

It adds to the excitement, particularly on a dull, overcast day.