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 By RICK SAMMON
For AP Special Features
Reprinted from our partner, amarillo.com
We live in a world filled with color. Sometimes, however, the colors we see aren't accurately reproduced in our prints and slides. Sounds familiar?
If so, here are some tips on how to get great colors in your photographs.
Film choice. Over the past few years, major film manufacturers have introduced extra color and super-saturated films that, as their names imply, deliver pictures with great colors.
These films are designed for wildlife and nature photography; they have given amateur photographers the ability to produce pictures with colors that rival those of the pro.
Film manufacturers, however, suggest that these super-colorful films not be used for people photography - because they make skin tones look too artificial.
Seeing color. Professional photographers train their eyes to see colors. Some pros use color meters to measure what's called the color temperature of a scene.
Amateurs need to be aware of color, too. For the most colorful outdoor pictures, photograph in the early morning and late afternoon, when you'll get deeper shades of red, yellow and orange in your pictures.
Use a flash. Indoors and out, a flash can bring out the true color of a subject.
For example, in a kitchen, a flash can overpower the light from fluorescent bulbs, which can make a subject look green. Outdoors, a flash can bring out the true colors of a subject positioned in the shade of a tree on a sunny day, which otherwise would look green due to the sunlight filtering through the leaves of the tree.
Use a filter. Outdoors, an 81a warming filter will make a noontime picture look as if it had been taken in the early morning or late afternoon. For even more color, try a color-enhancing filter, which increases the saturation of all the colors in the scene.
Ask for a reprint. In most cases, pictures are printed by operators at automatic machines. These machines are color-balanced to deliver good skin tones, and not necessarily colorful outdoor scenes. If you think your pictures look a bit dull or off-color, ask for a reprint. In most cases, you'll get a reprint at no cost.
Finally, there is one more ingredient you need for a colorful picture: a colorful subject. With that in mind, look for color and compose for color when taking pictures.
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