Monday, March 28, 2011

Intro to Digital Color Management

Digital Color Management Workflow: 
STEP 1:  Calibrate your monitor (either using a a calibrator like the ColorMunki or the MAC's internal program: System Preferences > Displays > Color tab > Calibrate. Use expert mode))

STEP 2:  Set up the Photoshop Color Management Environment (Edit > Color Settings. North American prepress 2, Adobe RGB 1998)

STEP 3:  Assign a Profile to the image (Adobe RGB 1998 for editing, convert if necessary before printing to sRGB or another ICC specific profile for your paper type)

STEP 4:  Soft Proof your image on screen for the ICC/ Paper profile you're using (View > Proof Setup > Custom. Shortcut is command Y) Make color adjustments if necessary.

STEP 5:  Print your Color-Managed image using ICC Printer Profiles 



Film Test Summary

Each student was asked to shoot 4 rolls of Film:

1. Normal Slide/Chrome Film- Daylight:
Kodak E100G- scans very well, fairly neutral


2. Vivid Slide/Chrome Film- Daylight (choose 1):
Kodak 100VS- vivid color emulsion
Fuji Provia 400
Velvia 50 or 100 ISO (colorful film, vivid)


3. Tungsten Color Film: choose any tungsten film (slide or negative: your choice)
I suggest 64T Slide Film
64T tungsten slide film
also at B&H


4. Daylight Color Negative Film:
Kodak Portra Film

Observation Summary:
After looking at everyone's slides and contact sheets, and after reading everyone's written observation summaries, the overall impression is that the neutral slide film (Kodak E100G) was actually more vivid and had more contrast than the Vivid Slide film (Kodak 100VS). The negative daylight color film (Kodak Portra) was surprisingly neutral, did not have much contrast and the colors were rather dull. Negative film has a greater latitude than slide film. This means that if the negative film was a stop overexposed, you'd still have detail in highlights, whereas if the slide film was overexposed, detail in highlights would very likely be lost.  The Tungsten film (64T) that should have been shot indoors, had different results in different rooms and buildings- depending on the color temperature of the overhead lighting. Not all lightbulbs are the same! If daylight came through a window, this also affected the colors of the tungsten film. Tungsten film shot outdoors in daylight obviously made everything blue if a corrective filter was not used.


Almost across the board, everyone's favorite film to shoot with was the neutral slide film, Kodak E100G. It is sharp, contrasty, and made colors vibrantly "pop" while not oversaturating skin tones and has fine grain.

Major factors in recording color:
Subject Matter
Exposure (slightly under exposing makes colors more rich)
Lighting situation (intensity of shadows affects color and contrast)
Weather
Time of Day
Color temperature shifts in Shade vs. Fog vs. Sun



E-6 = Slide Film Processing
C-41 = Negative Film Processing

Color Negative film (often with "color" in its name) has 3 layers of emulsion each sensitive to one of the RGB additive primaries.  During development, the developer oxidizes and combines with color chemical couplers in the emulsion to create the CMY dyes in our negative.  The blue-sensitive emulsion layer basically forms the yellow dye and so on.  Once all the light-sensitive silver is removed (different than B&W!), you are left with a negative image created solely from CMY dyes.

Reversal film (often with "chrome" in its name) produces a positive image called a chrome, slide, or transparency.   

Exposure latitude is the extent to which a light-sensitive material can be over or under exposed and still achieve acceptable results.  This makes it somewhat subjective.

It is not to be confused with Dynamic Range, which is the range of light intensities a medium can capture.  A recording medium with greater dynamic range will be able to record more details in the dark and light areas of a picture. Latitude depends on dynamic range. If the same scene can be recorded using less than the full brightness range available to the medium, the exposure can be shifted along the range without clipping data values in the shadows or highlights. Greater exposure latitude allows one to compensate for errors in exposure while retaining quality.

Push Film Processing: (brightens the film, and adds a bit of contrast) Over-development of the film, compensating for under-exposure in the camera.

Pull Film Processing: (darkens the film, and flattens the contrast a bit) A technique that compensates for overexposed film by under-developing it at the processing stage  

Cross-processing is developing color print or slide film in the wrong chemicals.
  • Processing positive reversal film in C-41 chemicals (normally for negs) results in negative image on a colorless base 
  • Processing negative print film in E-6 (normally for chromes) results in a positive image with the orange base of a normally processed color negative

Women in Photography: Tealia Ellis Ritter

http://wipnyc.org/

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Output Sharpening

It's not a bad idea to add a bit of sharpening to an image before you send it to the printer.

1. Duplicate your master image. (Then close your maser image with layers.) Flatten the duplicate  IMAGE > FLATTEN
2. Duplicate your background layer.
3. While you have the new "background copy" layer selected, go to FILTER > OTHER > HIGHPASS.
4. For an print that will be 11x14 inches, I'd choose a radius of approx 1.5 to 2 pixels. Hit OK.

5. Flatten the image. Save as a Flat TIFF.

**Make sure your document size matches your output size and that you've added white borders if you'd like them. Check how big your document is by going to IMAGE > IMAGE SIZE. (Should be 300 dpi.) Add white borders by going to IMAGE > CANVAS SIZE. Make sure your final document is the size of the paper you will have it printed on.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Printing at The Graphics Lab (Print FX) D529

Check List before Printing:

-shot in RAW, saved as a tiff (Give the lab a flat TIFF )
-make a duplicate image, flatten, sharpen
-Process in ACR (the RAW window) at 300ppi
-Make sure your document size matches the output (paper) size. i.e....if you're making an 8x10 print, size your document to 8x10". Be in control of your borders- add them manually as white or black in Photoshop. Image > Canvas Size
-Apply Output Sharpening
-Look at your image on Print FX's calibrated monitor before submitting
-Make sure your image is in the right color space: use Adobe RGB 1998 for the Graphics Lab
-Think about the colors and contrast and mood of your image- what paper type best suits it?

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Asst 5: Lomography Prints Due April 4

During the field trip to Lomography on 3/21, you will shoot one roll of film (most likely using a Diana). Please make 4x6 proof prints of all images on the roll and bring to class for critique on April 4.

HW Due 3/21: Observation Summary

Please write a half page observation summary on the Film Test.
Please Print it and turn it in on March 21.

What did you notice about the color quality in the 4 film types?
Was vivd more vivid?
Which was the most neutral?
Did the film's latitude affect color?
Was their a notable difference in the way the chrome film recorded color vs the negative film?
Which film had the most contrast?
Which film had the most grain?
Do contrast/grain affect the way the colors looked?
How did exposure affect the color?
How did time of day affect the color?
How did the weather affect the color?
How did your subject matter affect the color?
Which color film would you prefer to shoot with again?

Sunday, March 13, 2011

FIELD TRIP 3/21 to Lomography

On Monday March 21st, we will be going to Lomography for a workshop. Please bring $7. You can meet at our classroom at 2pm as usual and we'll walk there together. Or you can meet the class at Lomography at 106 East 23rd Street at 2:30pm

Lomography and Creative Color:

















(photos from the Lomography website)

Lomography Gallery Store Gramercy 

Each student should bring $7. This includes cost of 1 roll of film and a workshop, plus rental of a Diana camera for the afternoon.

Lomographic photos are often taken with inexpensive plastic cameras with plastic lenses (like Dianas) that produce dreamy, colorful images.

What's the difference between a Diana and a Holga? Click here to find out.


Thursday, March 10, 2011

Color by Number

This is a great interactive website to understand the numeric equivalents of colors. Try it out!:


http://colorsbynumber.com/http://colorsbynumber.com/

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Midterm Due March 28th- Projection




Class on March 14th will be a shooting day. Students will project both digitally and with an analog slide projector onto people and objects they bring in to the studio. Slide film from the film test assignment must be mounted for an analog slide projector and used during this shoot.
In class we will have 2 analog projectors and 2 digital projectors. We will break the class into 4 groups. Your group will have about 90 minutes with each type of projector, so be prepared to project both film slides and digital images. Please bring any props you may need to class and be prepared to start shooting at the beginning of class.

What's Due for the MIDTERM?
One "Projection" image must be printed 11x17 at the Graphics Lab for your MIDTERM.
Your top 5 projection images are due in digital form (as hi-res flat TIFFs) for the midterm as well.

** Images for the graphics lab (D529) must be in ADOBE RGB 1998 color space, flattened TIFF. Make sure your document is sized to 11x17 inches exactly before dropping it off.

(above photos by erin gleeson)

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Artist Presentations

Each student is asked to give a 10-15 minute presentation on a photographer who shoots in color.

Topics to cover in your presentation:
o Show samples from at least 3 separate series of work the artist has done
o Artist Bio (where they are from, how old are they, where they’ve shown, etc…)
o What main concepts/ideas is the artist trying to portray/explore?
o Why is it important that the artist shoots in color?
Would their images be as powerful in B/W?

Calendar:

March 7: William, Rebecca (Tim Walker)

March 14: Nicholas (Francesco Carrozzini), Clementine (Yann Arthus-Bertrand)

March 21: Danielle, Victoria (Erwin Olaf), Jessica F (Steve McCurry)

March 28: Alison (Penn), Jenny (Guy Bourdin)

April 4: Ray (David LaChapelle), Flaviu,

April 11: Dylan, Primo (Mario Testino), Jessica K (Ryan McGinley)

April 25: Hannah, Alana

May 2: Karina, James

May 9: Foli (Annie Lebowitz), Jessica F (Alexi Lubomirski)

PDN's 30 Just Announced



Photo District News' list of 30 photographers to watch this year!
http://www.pdngallery.com/gallery/pdns30/2011/

Aipad Photo Show: March 17-20


http://www.aipad.com/photoshow/new-york/

Ovation TV: Master Photographers

Gregory Crewdson


Timothy Greenfield Sanders


Photographers at Work (Sylvia Plachy, Andrew Moore, TG Sanders, Albert Maysels)

Artists Who Work With Projection

Kara Walker

Shimon Attie


Ross Ashton



Some students in Berlin attached a suitcase (with a mac mini inside) that projected a little movie on the wall of the tunnel while the the subway was moving:
 

Tony Oursler:
Tony Oursler's 'Mirror Return' (2010), a video projection

More from Tony Oursler:




Bruce High Quality Foundation Collective:

(above) An installation by the Bruce High Quality Foundation Collective at the Whitney Biennial 2010:  Examines discontinuities and contradictions of American identity. A white 1970s Cadillac ambulance (similar to the vehicle used by Joseph Beuys in his famous "I Like America and America Likes Me" performance with coyote at the Rene Block Gallery) forms the centerpiece; a video is screened on its windshield, combining images from newsreels, films, YouTube and TV commercials with a rambling, pensive, overdubbed text on "America passing out on the couch".

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Film Test Due March 14th

Each student should shoot 4 rolls of film over the next 2 weeks. Process each roll normally and make contact sheets or 4x6 prints of the negatives and mount the slides.

E-6 = Slide Film Processing
C-41 = Negative Film Processing

1. Normal Slide/Chrome Film- Daylight:
Kodak E100G- scans very well, fairly neutral

2. Vivid Slide/Chrome Film- Daylight (choose 1):
Kodak 100VS- vivid color emulsion
Fuji Provia 400
Velvia 50 or 100 ISO (colorful film, vivid)

3. Tungsten Color Film: choose any tungsten film (slide or negative: your choice)
I suggest 64T Slide Film
64T tungsten slide film
also at B&H


4. Daylight Color Negative Film:
Kodak Portra Film

*Subject Matter: Any (but please try to make it within one idea/theme)
*Please try a couple frames of daylight film indoors and tungsten film outdoors with a CC filter to correct color temperature. (see chart of filters on blog)

*** Please Note!!
This assignment will be leading up to your midterm assignment (see below), which is a projection project. You will be asked to project images using a slide projector onto people or objects. Keep this in mind as you shoot the 2 rolls of slide film.

***
Lab Suggestion- Where to get Processing Done:

L&I: http://www.landiphotolabs.com/homepage.html

L&I Photo and Digital

1 W 22nd St.(btw 5th & 6th)
ph 212 645 5300


Prices based on 35mm film, 36 exposures.

Slide Film:
$8 processing , mounting is free

Negative film:
$8 processing alone
$18 processing + Contact sheets
$16 processing + 4x6 proof prints