color saturation

[shingfan]

how do you increase the saturation and contrast of your photos (physicall)....or when you are taking the shot.....not by post process......i like to learn...thanks

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Try different papers

 

[fightheheathens]

time of day you shoot at probably has the biggest effect.
shooting early morning or just before sunset gives you the best color
saturation. further more (i dont know if this works for digital) with film,
if you underexpose by 1/2 stop or so you can also get more saturated colors.

 

[Digital Matt]

Photography is all about light. Every element of your photo starts first with light. Smaller light sources tend to be more contrasty. The sun, at high noon casts large shadows and is very contrasty. Unfortunatly, this tends to wash out colors as well. The most saturated colors come in the "golden hour", or the "magic hour".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hour_(photography)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_hour_(photography)

An overcast sky gives very soft shadows and an overall lower contrast. The saturation is higher than with very contrasty light.

Any time you want a contasty, saturated photo, it's going to be a combination of factors, including time of day / light source, film choice, and processing. With digital, film choice is irrelavent. Processing becomes the main factor. Setting optimal levels and saturation in your file will bring out best what you captured in your scene.