MotoUSA Photo of the Week - August 5, 2011

 

Ah yes, Friday morning and another installment of the MotoUSA Photo of the Week. I returned to the forum to find a bunch of new users and some very nice shots! One image however immediately grabbed my attention. Gdenny’s first entry into he POTW contest is a banger (slang for excellent photo) with a wonderful silhouette of an unknown freestyle rider executing a very solid superman seat grab. The sky is a wonderful warm backdrop that lends an air of tranquility to a very extreme situation; it almost feels relaxing. Just catching the top of the crowd gives depth to the photo as well. The cloud bisecting the frame always leads your eye right back to the rider and is a fine example of leading lines. Great way to come in to the fray swinging gdenny! You’re now part of the select group that has a chance to take home $500 worth of EVS protective gear as the Photo of the Year.

Gdenny’s warm photo brings me to my moto-photo tip for this week: color temperature. As you know there are colors that are warm (oranges, yellows and reds) and colors that are cool (blues, purples and shades of grey), and the use and manipulation of these colors really set the tone for an image. In addition, the temperature of a photo can refer to the shade of white, which is commonly referred to as white balance. Have you ever noticed on a cloudy day that your photos look a bit cold and drab? Look closely at anything that is white, and you will see it has a blue-ish tint. There are two ways to counteract the coolness of a cloudy day, before or after the photo is taken.

Altering the white balance can completely change a photo. The top is drab while the bottom is true to what your eye would see. 

The first is before, and requires that you know how to navigate the menus and set-up of your camera. There should be an option to change the white balance to several different setting such as sunny, cloudy, incandescent light and fluorescent light. These settings automatically compensate for the different spectrum and color of light that is present in those conditions. Set you camera to cloudy and you will be rewarded with a shot that will be warmer and less gloomy.

The second way is to change the temp via a photo-processing program. Almost every program has some sort of temperature adjustment available. Just move the slider from the cool side to the warm side. Just don’t overdo it! Going too far can create other problems such as increased color contrast and even loss of sharpness. I suggest changing it, and then stepping away from the screen for a few minutes to let your eyes adjust to the real world. Then return for a final evaluation of the color. It’s a balancing act, but with a little work you will be able to change the tone and feel of your photos to fit your vision.