Author: Richard

Colour or Black & White?

Or shall we say what colour?

In cinema, colour grading is a big thing to give a mood to a scene. If you watch the matrix movies the colour grading for the scenes in the matrix and outside in the ‘real’ world are very different.

I do occasionally colour grade some one off images but rarely.

But for my last shoot of last year, a lifestyle, and lingerie set, I did some extensive colour grading. The smart modern kitchen set suited it well so I toned the shadows a steely blue, while just giving the highlights a hint of extra warm tone.

With one set of images I combined some in camera work with post. This image above has the cool colour grading of the first but I also used half CTO on a small soft box. The majority of the light in this image is from a large shoot through umbrella, there is then a small soft box with a orange gel on it, to give the warm sunlight look.

With these first two images the colour grading while noticeable is relatively subtle. In this image above the colour grading is more more obvious, its selective colour saturation and grading which gives it a monochrome look.

Lastly a standard black and white image. Even with this, using digital capture there are lots of options available. The image is still made up of the three colour channels and by changing the amount of each and their ratio to each other you can dramatically change an image.

A vintage look. What would you have done?

The rumours for new cameras from Nikon are now coming thick and fast. The Z8 is the one most are expecting next but we are also due a refresh for the Z6 and Z7.

While we have had the Z30, the last major camera release was the Z9. Its interesting what people want from a Z8 and from what I am hearing, a lot of people are going to be disappointed.

• Mini Z9
• High megapixel studio / landscape
• Super high performance, low light low megapixel action / news camera

The first option, a mini Z9 is going to a difficult one for Nikon, it will have to have less video functions, over heating in the smaller body would be a major issue, plus you do not want to to match too closely the Z9 or loose sales of your flagship model.

High megapixel camera studio and landscape camera. Now here we get to a difficult position. While the crowd is still calling for more and more megapixels, at 50 mp diffraction starts to soften your images at f/11, going much higher then it will kick in at f/8 or less. Not what most of us want. Going much higher than 50 – 60 is going to start getting difficult to use unless you switch to medium format, but staying around 50 and not moving to at least 61MP like the new Sony A7R iv is going upset people, even through practically there is little difference between 50 and 60MP.

Super high performance low Rez camera with high lowlight performance. Canon have a good model here with the R3, and while the Z6 comes close it’s not a pro spec camera. For now it seems Nikon see the D5 as the camera for these people, but will the Z8 be the option for them?

Here in rural England Sunday mornings in the spring and summer are traditional car boot days.

COVID-19 stopped all of this and many have not restarted. Hopefully the traditional car boot will come back. Nearby to where I live, with the spring now here, the first car boot of the season was this last weekend. Not many people in attendance but hopefully as the weather warms things will pick up.

The seasons turn and we are now into Autumn.

As late summer turns to Autumn the light turns, and once again we grab the camera and walk round the village documenting the wonderful light.

If your an avid watching of YouTube related photography Chanels, you will know that Canon, Nikon and the rest of the major brands have had it; are going bust, and only Sony is worth buying. Now I admit, Sony have been listening and have addresses many of the issues I have with them, but in this summers press awards what were people actually using to take their winning pictures.

Well as can be seen most of the press are sticking with their trusty Canon’s and Nikons, and most of these pictures were also taken with pro DSLRs not mirrorless.

My view from this is despite what your hear, there seems to be a healthy mix of cameras and that is good for photography.

The British love a celebration, and this weekend we have good reason to celebrate. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has now been on the throne for seventy years.

No matter what your views on the monarchy you have to agree she has given us loyal service representing the county for all that time.

Our village has gotten into the spirit of things, with decorations, we also have a small beacon in the pub carpark which we lit.