Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 

Reply
Show Printable Version Search this Thread
11-10-2011, 08:53 AM   #1
Inactive Account




Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Dallas
Posts: 6
Red Faces

it's just me or every time i see a portrait, 95% skin color is reddish ?

is it photographer fault that spice up saturation ?

11-10-2011, 09:18 AM   #2
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter




Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Gladys, Virginia
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 27,603
Its probably a mixture of things. Certainly bumping up the saturation a lot will do that, but more than that, using a warmer white balance tends to give a reddish color. Feels like Canons really run to the warmer side of things (too much in my opinion).

I like a more natural look and tend to cool off my photos, even if they were taken at sunset.

11-10-2011, 10:40 AM   #3
Veteran Member




Join Date: May 2011
Location: Southern California
Photos: Albums
Posts: 4,082
I don't like to use my Tamron 90 for portraits unless the subject is my daughter, kids have perfect skin (makes me lazy since she is my #1 subject), or wearing makeup in good lighting. It shows too much detail and every skin imperfection. I prefer to use my FA50/1.4 for a softer look. I keep telling myself I need a 77/1.8 or an 85/1.4, but I probably just need better technique pre and post. You can try dialing down the intensity of your on-camera flash.

Last edited by kenafein; 11-10-2011 at 02:25 PM.
11-10-2011, 02:29 PM   #4
Senior Member




Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Lake Saint Louis
Posts: 126
Ever notice how some people have their TV's color saturated and think they look great? Some people pay for color so they want to see it.

I think the same is true for some less experienced photographers, they love saturated colors so Pentax and most companies give it to them. My K5 also saturates red too much, so I turned down the saturation and I like the photos much better now. Funny too, my Canon 5DII did the same thing until I turned down the saturation. Wayne

11-11-2011, 03:09 AM   #5
Veteran Member
adwb's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Bristol UK
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,636
I have shot a couple of weddings recently with a second shooter who uses Cannon, I noticed all his raws/jepg conversions are much more saturated/ vibrant than my K5 Kr images, personally I don't like it and he has has cameras set to factory specs [as far as colours are concerned]
Sharpness in portraits depends on the customer/ photographer's preference, slightly older ladies who have lost their younger taught skin do not always appreciate the truth!
Colour I think especially in prints should be as true to life as you can get it
11-11-2011, 03:26 AM   #6
Site Supporter
Site Supporter




Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Melbourne
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 3,386
QuoteOriginally posted by toooldtocare Quote
Ever notice how some people have their TV's color saturated and think they look great? Some people pay for color so they want to see it.

I think the same is true for some less experienced photographers, they love saturated colors so Pentax and most companies give it to them. My K5 also saturates red too much, so I turned down the saturation and I like the photos much better now. Funny too, my Canon 5DII did the same thing until I turned down the saturation. Wayne
Hi

That's a turn up for the books, so now it seems I am not the only one who is critical of "supercharged" colours that we see so often now. Your observation re TV colour settings in public places like hotels is something I have been repulsed by for as long as I can remember. I have written about this here in this forum as well. The first thing I adjust when I turn the TV on in a hotel is I de-saturate the colours. When the first HD software came onto the market that makes oversat colours soooo easy I said to myself, Oh merde here we go.

In a photograph, people just do not want to see nor except true colour rendreing. That is of course not everybody but a great many. Sunsets are a popular favorite for turbo charged coloues. Also a fair number of people thing they can rescue a so-so image by cranking up the colours.

This reminds me of an experiment I participated in at art classes many years ago. We had a teacher who was fanatical about colours and their place in the world around us. Part of his teaching was not only to "see" colours but also to remember them as accurately as possible. His idea was to remember colours the same way people do to remember words, namely by association. In the experiment we were shown a number of 200mm square colour plates of different colours. Then at the and of the class we were ask reproduce or select the previously shown colours from a huge selection of different shades oil colour tubes. You know what? Everyone, including myself, selected colours that where way over in intensety, in other words much stronger colours.

When I see over-the-top sunset shots here (yes in this forum) I remember this art class experiment and I know why so many are way over the top. The added problem is, a beautiful sunset overstimulates the observers senses, often also emotionally. Then when this image is opened up on screen a few days later, guess what happens, yes, oversaturated colours! And no way of reasoning will change peoples mind - NO that is how I saw it. (And how dare you telling me different, you weren't there!)

Oh well, just have to live with it. And please no hatemail

Greetings
11-11-2011, 04:08 AM   #7
Veteran Member
adwb's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Bristol UK
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,636
QuoteOriginally posted by Schraubstock Quote
Hi

I said to myself, Oh merde here we go.
An Aussie said " Oh merde"??

sure it was not a more colloquial epithet?

11-11-2011, 04:38 AM   #8
Site Supporter
Site Supporter




Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Melbourne
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 3,386
QuoteOriginally posted by adwb Quote
An Aussie said " Oh merde"??

sure it was not a more colloquial epithet?
Hi
Yes it was but this forum would delist me had I uttered it here. Scheisse is another alternative, but we won't go any further.

Greetings
11-11-2011, 05:00 AM   #9
Veteran Member
adwb's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Bristol UK
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 1,636
My wife and I run a framing business and the majority of "special" images that get brought to us to mount and frame have in our opinion been over saturated, as are a lot of the paintings especially oil paintings.
It seems to have become a acceptable way of portraying objects. It is interesting that the younger the client the more likelihood of the image being over the top

Just our opinion of course,
other opinions are available,
it's all subjective,
beauty is in the eye of the beholder,
there is no accounting for taste.
11-12-2011, 08:38 AM   #10
Loyal Site Supporter
Loyal Site Supporter




Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Gladys, Virginia
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 27,603
QuoteOriginally posted by Schraubstock Quote
Hi

That's a turn up for the books, so now it seems I am not the only one who is critical of "supercharged" colours that we see so often now. Your observation re TV colour settings in public places like hotels is something I have been repulsed by for as long as I can remember. I have written about this here in this forum as well. The first thing I adjust when I turn the TV on in a hotel is I de-saturate the colours. When the first HD software came onto the market that makes oversat colours soooo easy I said to myself, Oh merde here we go.

In a photograph, people just do not want to see nor except true colour rendreing. That is of course not everybody but a great many. Sunsets are a popular favorite for turbo charged coloues. Also a fair number of people thing they can rescue a so-so image by cranking up the colours.

This reminds me of an experiment I participated in at art classes many years ago. We had a teacher who was fanatical about colours and their place in the world around us. Part of his teaching was not only to "see" colours but also to remember them as accurately as possible. His idea was to remember colours the same way people do to remember words, namely by association. In the experiment we were shown a number of 200mm square colour plates of different colours. Then at the and of the class we were ask reproduce or select the previously shown colours from a huge selection of different shades oil colour tubes. You know what? Everyone, including myself, selected colours that where way over in intensety, in other words much stronger colours.

When I see over-the-top sunset shots here (yes in this forum) I remember this art class experiment and I know why so many are way over the top. The added problem is, a beautiful sunset overstimulates the observers senses, often also emotionally. Then when this image is opened up on screen a few days later, guess what happens, yes, oversaturated colours! And no way of reasoning will change peoples mind - NO that is how I saw it. (And how dare you telling me different, you weren't there!)

Oh well, just have to live with it. And please no hatemail

Greetings
I feel like part of the issue is that point and shoot cameras typically really ramp up their saturation in order to cover their other deficiencies. After shooting with these type of cameras for a year or two, the eye comes to expect the scene to be really juiced from a saturation standpoint. When people come to SLRs from a point and shoot they have certain expectations about how the photos should look and that is part of it. It is not infrequent that someone posts "my point and shoot camera took better photos than my Kx" or something equivalent.
11-12-2011, 07:22 PM   #11
Senior Member




Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Saskatchewan
Posts: 221
I find that skin tones are better when I remember to use the portrail setting instead of a more saturated setting. I'm still practising the 'remembering to check' part of all that camera setting!
11-12-2011, 07:56 PM   #12
Site Supporter
Site Supporter




Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Melbourne
Photos: Gallery
Posts: 3,386
QuoteOriginally posted by Rondec Quote
I feel like part of the issue is that point and shoot cameras typically really ramp up their saturation in order to cover their other deficiencies. After shooting with these type of cameras for a year or two, the eye comes to expect the scene to be really juiced from a saturation standpoint. When people come to SLRs from a point and shoot they have certain expectations about how the photos should look and that is part of it. It is not infrequent that someone posts "my point and shoot camera took better photos than my Kx" or something equivalent.

Hi
Never thought of it this way but now I see you have made an extremely valid observation.
Then of course as soon as the transition to DSLR is made software is purchased to work on those images, and it is likely to be one of these supercharged turbo HDR programs that make eye popping colour treatment sooo easy.

Just move that "Dynamic Tone Mapping Slider" to the right and "wow look at that" - maybe just a bit more? It can never be enough can it. Some of these programs even have presets to do this. And one has to compete with all the other HD images one sees everywhere and a bit extra treatment to stand out in the crowd won't hurt, will it.

And one has to stand out in the crowd, doesn't one. Just look at tattoos, it used to be just a little tat on the arm somewhere, but now it is wall to wall graffiti.
I know I sound cynical.

Greetings
11-15-2011, 06:02 AM   #13
Veteran Member




Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Flushing NY
Photos: Albums
Posts: 413
QuoteOriginally posted by canajuneh Quote
I find that skin tones are better when I remember to use the portrail setting instead of a more saturated setting. I'm still practising the 'remembering to check' part of all that camera setting!
Making use of those five customizable user modes can help with that. Simply devote one to your favorite settings for portraits.
11-15-2011, 06:38 AM   #14
Veteran Member




Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Missouri
Posts: 534
I don't want my photos to look exactly like the scene--I want them to look better. Sometimes that means bumping the contrast and saturation, such as in outdoor scenes. Other times it means the opposite, such as in portraits. Skin tones vary widely and age is a factor. There is no standard. Olive skin is best. Blonds and black people are hardest. Lighting and makup are crutial (pretty women seem to have a knack for it, less attractive people overdo it). Background color and placement are important. The portrait setting on a K5 is pretty good. Flash often is flattering, not just to skin tone, but bokeh. FL plays a role, and some lenses produce better skin tones. Of those I have, the DFA 100mm Macro is best. A CPL helps with others, especially older A and M lenses.
11-15-2011, 09:21 AM   #15
Veteran Member
Otis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis FanOtis Fan
Rupert's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Texas
Photos: Gallery | Albums
Posts: 25,123
QuoteOriginally posted by Rondec Quote
I feel like part of the issue is that point and shoot cameras typically really ramp up their saturation in order to cover their other deficiencies. After shooting with these type of cameras for a year or two, the eye comes to expect the scene to be really juiced from a saturation standpoint. When people come to SLRs from a point and shoot they have certain expectations about how the photos should look and that is part of it. It is not infrequent that someone posts "my point and shoot camera took better photos than my Kx" or something equivalent.
I think you are exactly right. Most viewers are used to the high saturation of P&S cameras, and do not understand the idea of adjusting a DSLR to get the look you prefer. I also agree with the poster that stated young people tend to go for richer more saturated color.......that has been my observation also. Watched too many cartoons as kids?

I have only done a few sets of portrait work with the K5, and not enough to get the settings to my best liking, but it is relatively easy to make adjustments and I have been very happy with the results from the K5....but I was also happy with the K20D.

This was pretty natural and true to life of what I saw...
[IMG] [/IMG]

This one too...the red is about what the natural view showed.
[IMG] [/IMG]


Everyone is different in what they want....kind of nice, isn't it!

Best Regards!
Reply

Bookmarks
  • Submit Thread to Facebook Facebook
  • Submit Thread to Twitter Twitter
  • Submit Thread to Digg Digg
Tags - Make this thread easier to find by adding keywords to it!
camera, dslr, k-5, k-5 ii, k-5 iis, k5, pentax k-5
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Machinery ferrari 'faces'... dcmsox2004 Post Your Photos! 5 10-27-2011 02:27 PM
People Faces EdwardConde Post Your Photos! 8 09-29-2011 09:23 PM
Abstract fountain faces... dcmsox2004 Post Your Photos! 10 06-19-2011 08:52 PM
People faces of baseball dcmsox2004 Post Your Photos! 6 08-19-2010 05:53 AM
People Faces in the Street fractal Post Your Photos! 4 07-02-2010 02:20 AM



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:40 PM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top