Yellows

[KeenTeen17]

Anyone got any tips on how to photograph bright yellow subjects. I have found that when in direct sunlight, they get too bright and when I shadow over them, they appear too dull. Bracketing down doesn't really help because they come out orange, Any helps. This has mostly occured on buttercups and similar species.

Thanks

[Ed Tyler]

Your shadow may be to dark over the flower, the best time to photograph flowers is on overcast or dull days. If the sun is around wait until it has gone behind a cloud then try again.

I'm not sure if this would work so maybe others can advise us both here, but maybe you could attached a ND (Neutral Density) filter to your camera. This would have the effect of reducing the light passing into the camera and retain the colours, but any shadows may come out to dark.

Ed

[ron1863]

Photograph them in early morning or late afternoon, or if you are shooting them in the bright midday sun take an umbrella or something to use to shade them

[Cellarman]

I carry a "Lastolite" diffuser, which I use to create light (as opposed to dark, that is) shade. This works very well with yellows and blues.

Are you also shooting in RAW?

[KeenTeen17]

Originally Posted by Cellarman

I carry a "Lastolite" diffuser, which I use to create light (as opposed to dark, that is) shade. This works very well with yellows and blues.

Are you also shooting in RAW?

I can use RAW but I prefer to use JPEG because the images of RAW are just too big and I take so many that it would take ages to resize and edit them all. All my photos end up on WAB anyway

[Geoff F]

Yellow or white flowers are difficult. Magenta and purple give other problems.

Keep using RAW and delete the total failures in the camera as you go. For best results avoid direct sunshine, which has already been advised, but not too much shade.

Use spot metering and experiment with exposure compensation. Try one shot at normal then one at +1 and another at -1. See the difference then try using half stops (+1/2 etc)

Make sure your White Balance setting is correct. If you shoot RAW you can alter it during conversion. But the only way to get true colour is to do a Custom White Balance. Check your camera manual for details. It does take a few seconds but is the best way if you are getting problems.

The real problems come when you are trying to photograph a black fly on a yellow flower!

Read this tutorial http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tut...te-balance.htm also have a look at the tutorial on exposure and metering from the same site.

[Meta menardi]

Originally Posted by Geoff F

Yellow or white flowers are difficult. Magenta and purple give other problems.

Don't get me started about large expanses of red. Part of this problem comes from how darn good our eyes are. Especially if you combine them with a brain!

[Ed Tyler]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

Don't get me started about large expanses of red. Part of this problem comes from how darn good our eyes are. Especially if you combine them with a brain!

Whats a brain

Ed

[Geoff F]

What's a brain?

It's that area of your body which hurts when you try to photograph and identify wildlife!

Anyway, going back to yellow problems. Here is a typical example, straight from the camera, taken yesterday during a gap in the showers.



Impossible to get everything correct in one photo. The only answer (but still willing to learn) is to spot meter for the flower centre, which will make the hoverfly too dark. Then add a touch of exposure compensation (+2/3) to give a correct exposure for the hoverfly without totally over exposing the flower centre.

Later on, a touch of editing can improve things. Curves to lighten the midtones/shadows slightly. Hue/saturation to lower the saturation of the yellows then boost all colour saturation by around 5%.

Alternatively, if you are really keen, it would be possible to take 2 photos, one exposed for the flower and one for the fly, then combine the two for one perfectly exposed photo. That's how the pros get stunning results. But you have to stop the flower and fly from moving in the wind; and keep your tripod perfectly still.

There is another possibility, particularly when shooting RAW. Convert the RAW image using 2 different settings and combine them to produce one photo.

Even a JPG photo can be duplicated and each layer edited differently, using a mask to cover the unwanted parts, and combined.

In reality this isn't as difficult as it sounds but does take a bit of time. The euphemism 'combine with photoshop' reminds me of those optimistic workshop manuals which use expressions like 'drive back cog and remove bearing' and you know it is going to take an hour with a warming torch and heavy hammer; plus losing the skin from your knuckles!

[Cellarman]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

I can use RAW but I prefer to use JPEG because the images of RAW are just too big and I take so many that it would take ages to resize and edit them all. All my photos end up on WAB anyway

But if you shoot in RAW, then part of the problem is solved and you spend less time doing the things that you need to with JPEGs.