awesome white balance?

[bblaine]

how does paul johnson get his pictures to look like this???

www.pauljohnsonphoto.com

i have the same camera as him but my pictures aren't as vivid and his beach ones are so crisp and white... how???? some kind of reflector? does he wear white to bounce the light?

 

[Big Mike]

It's hard to offer advice without narrowing down the images you are looking at. There is a lot of stuff on that site.

I did see several beach shots, and I don't think that white balance is the secret. Most of them, seemed to have a blown out background with a well exposed subject, so he's exposing for the subject rather than the background or the whole scene. There may also be some fill light added via flash or some sort of reflector. Also, there is probably some good post processing involved.

 

[Early]

I didn't see anything spectacular there, and certainly no match for some to the films that that were available. IMHO.

 

[Alpha]

I would hazard a guess that he white balances.

 

[nicfargo]

He probably shoots in RAW and changes white balance afterward along with other various photoshop techniques.

 

[Ron Evers]

There are some truly wonderful pictures. I am not one to take people pics but I must say this has given me an inspiration to try a few.

 

[ann]

just another example that the camera is just the tool, the person behind the camera is what is the most important item (IMHO)

 

[Jedo_03]

I went to the site www.pauljohnsonphoto.com | lifestyle | kids ... and looked at the pics...
And they are amazingly bright...
And I just wanna say - if "I" posted pics like that on this forum, there would be a plethora of responses with terms like "overexposed" "Blowout" "Blown Highlights" &c...
I posted a similar thread days ago - re pics on the fronts of magazines with obvious "overexposure" "Blowout" "Blown Highlights" and the consensus seemed to be "artifact of cheap printing processes" and/or "artistic style"
I'm coming to the conclusion that I should take perfectly-exposed images and then butcher them in PS | Layers | Screen, or PS | Layers | Multiply and call meself an "artiste" and charge exhorbitant fees for a photoshoot and the prints and retire to North-Western Australia with the proceeds...
It's just amazing what you can get away with when you make a feature of it - hey..??
Jedo

 

[Jedo_03]

Artistic feature...
"High Key..."
Rough cut-out - ignore that - but seriously "over-exposed"...
You Like..???
Jedo

 

[bblaine]

eh. i like paul johnson's stuff. it's the look i'm going for.

 

[bblaine]

Artistic feature...
"High Key..."
Rough cut-out - ignore that - but seriously "over-exposed"...
You Like..???
Jedo

not exactly (also ignoring the rough cut-out)... it doesn't have the same effect...

 

[Mesoam]

its definitely just a lot of P&P, i feel that most of the shots look over processed (to each their own)

 

[Mike30D]

As long as it appeals to his customers (or potential customers) then that's all that matters.

 

[kellylindseyphotography]

He has fabulous exposure. A very nice camera that has amazing clarity when taking properly exposed pictures. An excellent understand of white balance and exposure. And very well refined PS skills which I happen to LOVE and feel completely opposite of Jedo.

 

[usayit]

A very nice camera that has amazing clarity when taking properly exposed pictures.

I wouldn't say that to him in person... he might actually take that the wrong way... (its not the camera but the camera enables him to accomplish the final photo)

I agree.. I don't think it is anything complicated... a lot of creative Post adjustments. Each photo is slightly different (at least by my view). Many seem to be:

* White balanced towards slightly cooler temp (on certain photos he really goes for a cooler WB)
* Push the exposure until highlights just start to become washed
* Bump up the contrast a lot.... till you get deep deep blacks
* Desaturate a bit so the skin is more neutral
* Bring the bright colors (Green grass, red flowers etc), which would have been overly brighten by the push in exposure, back into control by adjusting the luminance of the colors individually.

Thats just my guess based on a few photos I "tweeked" recently.

What I will say... is that what sets him apart (IMO) is his use of composition... For me that is far more the attraction than exposure, equipment, or photoshopping he has applied.


Also... I've seen a few photographers that employ a very talented "photoshopper" for lack of a better term. The photographer might be wonderful behind the camera but NOT necessarily the best person for processing the photos. In the film days, much of the success of a photo was a coordination between the photographer and the developer who spends hours and hours in a darkroom. Often its those behind-the-scene people that don't get recognized.