Shadows and colors


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Razorsharp87

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Mar 17, 2008
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Hey guys, I've noticed many wonderful shots taken by the pros from digital camera and I noticed 1 thing so wonderful about their shots. Their shadow area is really dark and their highlight area is really bright. The color tone is really very vivid and saturated. This makes the subject they are shooting really stand out and looks very 3-dimensional.

I've been trying to have such effect on digital cameras, normal prosumer camera and borrowed a dslr to try it out, but I just couldn't get them right. To make the shadow area darker, my overall pic will be underexposed. To not make the overall pic underexposed, the color of my subject starts blowing out alil.

Without using post-processing, is there any way you guys can take such great pictures directly from a camera? Or is post-processing the only solution?
 

please do provide a link to the photo(s) you are referring to. A bit hard to follow you like this.
 

Post-processing can't solve everything, and you can great photos with little or no PP.

It's hard to say without actual pix, but it sounds like a you have issues with lighting. It's hard to get a good photo with lousy light. If you're shooting outdoors on a dull, overcast day, the light is going be be flat and lifeless. If the sun is out, colours get brighter, and shadows seem deeper. You can see that without a camera. That's just the tip of the iceberg, of course.

How about uploading an image for critique (in the Critique section)?
 

I wonder if TS could be referring to HDR?
 

Thanks alot for your replies!

I actually saw those pics I described in the canon photomarathon event and thus, couldn't get a pic to show you guys.

However, I went on to flickr to search for pics to use as reference to what I'm trying to say, and I found these few links.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zambales_eyemd/2402874061/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/leacyy/234993449/

For these 2 links, do u think post processing is done on them? Or can it be taken without post processing?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liyin/1516816296/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bucky_tweek/3660730450/

I realised that these 2 links are done using HDR. I would like to ask if these kind of effects can be achievable without using HDR?
 

The first one is just boring; the second one used a fake vignetting effect, and he upped the saturation. The third one, as stated, is film, and then cross-processing. No HDR. The 4th one uses HDR, a (close) effect could be achieved with a graduated ND filter, but HDR is the better bet.
 

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