If I were to define my style, I would say that I use a lot of natural, neutral tones in my photography. Look back through the posts on this blog, and you’ll see a lot of browns, greys, creams, russets. I’ve never really explored the use of colour. The saturation slider in Aperture always comes down a notch.
Lately, this is starting to change. It’s not a conscious decision. I’ve taken a lot of sets of photos of young families recently, and I’ve found the children wearing deep, bright colours. In the dull, even light of late winter, these colours really seem to be jumping out at me, and I am enjoying embracing them rather than muting them.
We went to Nostell Priory yesterday (I’ve been before – see the muted colours of the photo I took then) in the early spring sunshine. I had my 50mm, f1.8, prime lens with me, and took some snaps of the family in the sun. I caught this one of Charlotte while she ws just messing around, being herself.
I love the pinkness of her coat. I adore the paleness of her skin and the twinkle in her dark brown eyes. I like most of all the green and blue bokeh behind her. It’s a lovely contrast to the pinkness of her coat, and I feel gives the picture a balance of colour; both drawing your attention to Charlotte whilst at the same time connecting it all together as a single image.
I have worked on this picture in Aperture more than I normally would have done. I have used a more definite S-curve to give a deeper contrast. I have darkened the luminosity of the greens and blues while at the same time increasing their saturation. I have added a full-image polarising effect, and I have enhanced her eyes a little.
The original, straight-out-of-camera, image is much more like my usual style, but today I felt like doing something a little different. I love this picture, but that’s not to say that tomorrow I’ll think it way over the top. There’s every possibility that I’ll cringe when I look at it in a week’s time but for now, and in celebration of the approaching spring, I love the colours in this image!
I think I have the white balance too far into the pinks. It spoils the picture a little. But I still like it!
©2010 Michael Scott
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