'The Lost Princess'...my first selective color

Derrel · Jul 30, 2013

IMO,does not work, just like the majority of pictures shot with film do not work. Or the majority of ultra-wide angle photos. Does not work, like the majority of telephoto lens pictures, or the majority of photos shot using radio remotes.

Condemning photos, sight unseen and IN ADVANCE, based simply on the technique used seems foolhardy to me.

cgipson1 · Jul 30, 2013

Derrel said:
IMO,does not work, just like the majority of pictures shot with film do not work. Or the majority of ultra-wide angle photos. Does not work, like the majority of telephoto lens pictures, or the majority of photos shot using radio remotes.

Condemning photos, sight unseen and IN ADVANCE, based simply on the technique used seems foolhardy to me.

I saw the image... so I don't see your point! I have seen other shots too (overdone HDR)... which is what my comment was based on. So what IS your point? Or is this just another of your not so subtle attacks on me again?

terri · Jul 30, 2013

I like it a lot, and without use of the wide angle I doubt it would have come off as well. Does not have to be a story, but it's an image the viewer can make of it what they will. For me, it's a nice representation of a child's bad dream, alone and lost amid a whirl of indifferent adults who don't see her. The widelux effectively distorts the scene so the focus is on her, and she happens to be looking away which holds up the "story". Leaving her in color while rendering the circle of people around her in B&W only enforces the dream-like quality.

Whether you intended it or not, that's what I've pulled from it, so I think it's one of the rare instances where selective color actually has a purpose in the image. Very nice work.

Ilovemycam · Jul 30, 2013

Just a note about printing the 'Lost Princess'

I adjusted the saturation of the color portion and the tonality of the BW portion of version 21 which replace version 14 in the old OP. Version 21 looks pretty good on the monitor, but the color is too light for prints. The BW changes in version 21 are an improvemnt to version 14 both on the monitor and in a print. But version 14 was closer to the right color saturation that was needed for prints.

This just goes to show you, what looks good on the monitor does not always translate to the printer. To further complicate this issue, many types of paper require their own specialized file to perfect it for that specific paper. If you aspire to do good printing I suggest you use a 3 ring binder to house your 4 x 6 work prints and notes. This record helps keep your tests prints organized for each paper you may use.

Ilovemycam · Jul 30, 2013

terri said:
I like it a lot, and without use of the wide angle I doubt it would have come off as well. Does not have to be a story, but it's an image the viewer can make of it what they will. For me, it's a nice representation of a child's bad dream, alone and lost amid a whirl of indifferent adults who don't see her. The widelux effectively distorts the scene so the focus is on her, and she happens to be looking away which holds up the "story". Leaving her in color while rendering the circle of people around her in B&W only enforces the dream-like quality.

Whether you intended it or not, that's what I've pulled from it, so I think it's one of the rare instances where selective color actually has a purpose in the image. Very nice work.

Thanks!

Part is skill, part is luck. Whatever the breakdown is...I don't know?

'Of course it is all luck!' ~ Henri Carier-Bresson

Without the wide angle it is double tough at night. I need all the depth of field I can get. Fuji X has very poor AF on their normal lenses. The shorter a lens, the more 'cushion' with the focus range. At night I have to shoot wide open and about 4000+ ISO and that just gets by.

If I had a FF cam like a D800 I may do better with less noise, higher ISO, better exposure. There is the case where the right equip can help. But the D800 is a pretty big cam to use for street candids right up in a persons face. The Leica M(240) is possibly a better choice, but the price is unaffordable for most. If Fuji made a Leica knockoff for $3500 28mp, high ISO, low noise... then I could get excited about a new too for night shooting.

vintagesnaps · Jul 30, 2013

I like it because it's subtle and is on the subject not other elements in the photo - it brings the viewer's attention to her, and almost gives her a glow.

I've played around a little with hand tinting B&W darkroom prints but so far only experimented on some of my duds (mistakes, boo-boos, whatever you want to call them). I've lately watched/recorded TCM silent Sunday nights and never realized some of those films were tinted with entire scenes in one color, which I find interesting but haven't quite figured out how use tinting in my photos in a way that I like yet.

I've been a teacher but don't particularly take pictures of kids or do street photography; when I've taken photos at an event I haven't had a problem but it probably depends - there may not be a concern with people taking photos of children that they're with at the event because it would be assumed they're taking photos of their own family and friends, but there may be a question/concern about someone taking pictures of other people's kids because the purpose may not be apparent.

I think much of the concern is people don't know where their kids' pictures might end up; it's likely they can't figure out why someone would want a picture of their kid. ASMP has a pocket release available, so if a photographer is taking candids it would be possible to get the parents' permission for usage after taking the photo. If they don't want their child's photo used for a particular purpose I think that needs to be respected. People that would see you with a camera don't know you, so have no way of knowing what your purpose is or that you're an artist/photographer.

From what I know many venues, sports teams, and sponsors of events are getting much more restrictive about people bringing in cameras or telephoto lenses in an effort to protect their name, their logo, etc. I've read that some high schools are starting to issue credentials, and teams at least in my area get releases signed for all their student athletes for photos for publicity purposes. I think with not just the internet but now social media too there's more of an effort to protect images of their sport or event especially if the participants are underage.

Buckster · Jul 30, 2013

It's rare that I see an image made with selective color that I like; That works for me and my tastes. This one does, quite nicely.

Ilovemycam · Jul 30, 2013

vintagesnaps said:
I like it because it's subtle and is on the subject not other elements in the photo - it brings the viewer's attention to her, and almost gives her a glow.

I've played around a little with hand tinting B&W darkroom prints but so far only experimented on some of my duds (mistakes, boo-boos, whatever you want to call them). I've lately watched/recorded TCM silent Sunday nights and never realized some of those films were tinted with entire scenes in one color, which I find interesting but haven't quite figured out how use tinting in my photos in a way that I like yet.

I've been a teacher but don't particularly take pictures of kids or do street photography; when I've taken photos at an event I haven't had a problem but it probably depends - there may not be a concern with people taking photos of children that they're with at the event because it would be assumed they're taking photos of their own family and friends, but there may be a question/concern about someone taking pictures of other people's kids because the purpose may not be apparent.

I think much of the concern is people don't know where their kids' pictures might end up; it's likely they can't figure out why someone would want a picture of their kid. ASMP has a pocket release available, so if a photographer is taking candids it would be possible to get the parents' permission for usage after taking the photo. If they don't want their child's photo used for a particular purpose I think that needs to be respected. People that would see you with a camera don't know you, so have no way of knowing what your purpose is or that you're an artist/photographer.

From what I know many venues, sports teams, and sponsors of events are getting much more restrictive about people bringing in cameras or telephoto lenses in an effort to protect their name, their logo, etc. I've read that some high schools are starting to issue credentials, and teams at least in my area get releases signed for all their student athletes for photos for publicity purposes. I think with not just the internet but now social media too there's more of an effort to protect images of their sport or event especially if the participants are underage.

Post up some of your tinted pix.

Yes credentials are becoming more popular. Sometimes you have to pay big bucks for the credentials. The Twins Festival in Ohio charges $1200 for credentials.

Photographers all have their own pet likes and dislikes. I try to keep an open mind to all techniques. But for me, technique is secondary to balancing the overall image. They all go hand in hand to perfect the photo.

"Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary." ~ Cecil Beaton

I especially love hyper real HDR street photography.

http://www.artslant.com/ny/works/show/693481-yankee-doodle-dandy

http://www.artslant.com/ny/works/show/693493-march-of-the-zombies

I even HDR some old negs I shot in the 70's...

http://www.artslant.com/ny/works/show/691529-jennifur

http://www.artslant.com/ny/works/sh...e-finger-nails-in-the-style-of-daido-moriyama

Now, I don't HDR everything...but I do try many options.

Sometimes you can have a photo that works in many forms. I shot one on the Fourth of July and like the BW and color version. I use both in my portfolio. Just depends what mood I'm in. You would think a BW shot of fireworks would be a dud.

If I can figure out how to selective color the fireworks and keep the rest BW I may try that. It is special BW done with color correction filters and not just a plain Jane BW conversion. I think I would need to learn PS to do it right. The key is to try different things...don't quit before you start!

As a documentary and street photog I never get model releases. Only commercial photogs get releases. Maybe magazine photogs that pay for photos may get a release. But generally speaking we non pros dont.

I forgot I did another selective color shot last November. But it is all BW, so not really selective color.

ArtSlant - Hakenkreuz in a Dress

I shot it back in the '70's. I gave it the 'treatment' for anonymity of the person. I don't know if she is dead or alive, still a Nazi or not. So I was conservative with the publication.

The Artslant pix are low res. In the print you can see some of the whites of her eyes. I thought about redoing since my technique was very low tech back then. But I am pretty happy with it as-is in high res and print form.