photo sharing: Spectromagic!

[Groucho]

MassJester, I don't think it's overexposed, it's just that the walls are pretty stark white. The gingerbread house was what I was concerned about exposure on, though. But I think I see what you're saying, it does look almost shockingly white. I think that if the gingerbread house was outside, you'd see similar bright white areas - but the warmer color (even to the naked eye) kind of hide that.

Ideally, it should be somewhere between where it is and where the first photo was... I think I fiddled for a couple minutes, but with so many photos to process, I couldn't let myself spend too much time on it.

Carolina_Yankee, I hope you don't mind if I use one of your photos here... I thought this was a good example of the problem with GF color balance.

Notice that just under the level with the windows, the white areas immediately turn yellow. The only way to get the entire photo with "accurate" colors would be use one white balance for the top and another for the bottom.

 

[MassJester]

I see your point. When looking at the gingerbread house in your phot is seemed a little washed, but now I think I understand why. So you are thinking that combining two different shots, each with it's own WB setting is the only way to correct that?

 

[carolina_yankee]

Carolina_Yankee, I hope you don't mind if I use one of your photos here... I thought this was a good example of the problem with GF color balance.

Notice that just under the level with the windows, the white areas immediately turn yellow. The only way to get the entire photo with "accurate" colors would be use one white balance for the top and another for the bottom.

No problem at all.

This is a very instructive conversation to me.

Is it a white balance issue, or an exposure issue (in the case of my shot that you chose). The light around the windows is bright, so the camera chooses a faster shutter (I shoot in aperture priority), but that would underexpose the white at the lower (less lit) levels. Then again, you also have the difference between sunlight and incandescent, too. Boy, it's tricky. I should take a look at official GF photos from Disney for comparision. . .

Not sure if it's official, but this is a photo I found from luxury disney guide and is also on other sites.

I wonder what settings they used?

Dirk

 

[carolina_yankee]

(Apologies if we are too of topic, but it seems to fit the natural flow of conversation. Perhaps mods can make a new thread and move these GF posts there if necessary?)

OK, I played with the settings in Aperture to see what I could do about the yellowish cast in white. Changing the exposure settings helped a little, but below out the upper part of the photo, as expected.

Messing around with the white balance brought in too much of a bluish cast.

I ended up adjusting the mid-tones and dropping the saturation on the yellow channel. Here's what I got:

Original:

Unfortunately, dropping the yellow kills the amber lights in the tree, but it does give a more even color cast.
Dirk

 

[ehagerty]

This may be a topic for the photography boards, but I am not inclined to suggest moving it there, as it is unlikely that people who might happen on the Spectro thread would knowingly be aware that there is a photography board and think to go there to learn the kinds of useful information that you two are sharing.

 

[MassJester]

Unfortunately, dropping the yellow kills the amber lights in the tree, but it does give a more even color cast.
Dirk

Well, you could write books on what I don't know (and people have ), but I think what might be done with the image is to break out the top three levels, the tree, and the balance of the photo into three separate elements so that they can be acted upon separately. I'd try to make the colors on the tree pop a little more, and then work with WB on the other two.

Of course, that's a lot of wrestling with photoshop for a single image.

 

[carolina_yankee]

Well, you could write books on what I don't know (and people have ), but I think what might be done with the image is to break out the top three levels, the tree, and the balance of the photo into three separate elements so that they can be acted upon separately. I'd try to make the colors on the tree pop a little more, and then work with WB on the other two.

Of course, that's a lot of wrestling with photoshop for a single image.

Yeah - that's at the point where I realize I've already blown my afternoon do list by tinkering around with this stuff!! Glad I set my own hours . . .

It's a good conversation though. I'm really going to pay more attention to what I'm doing when taking the shot, and see if I can't correct some of those things with different settings from start.

Dirk

 

[AbbysFamily]

This may be a topic for the photography boards, but I am not inclined to suggest moving it there, as it is unlikely that people who might happen on the Spectro thread would knowingly be aware that there is a photography board and think to go there to learn the kinds of useful information that you two are sharing.

Umm... I think they asked for a split because the Spectro thread is already on the photography board, but the thread took a left turn somewhere?

 

[MassJester]

It's my fault--I'm always sending threads to the left.

Please, return to the original thread already in progress.

 

[Groucho]

I would probably be inclined to take the photo as is and make a duplicate with a tungsten white balance, to whiten out the levels below the windows. In Photoshop, make each a layer, probably with the original as the top layer. Then erase the areas below the windows, leaving the tree untouched - if you can get a smooth transition, that'll give you "true, accurate" color through most all the photo.

But again, the eternal question - is it better for a photo to have true colors, or to have slightly incorrect but more pleasing colors? I'm not sure that the yellow is ideal, but the pure white can look a bit harsh and stark, like in the photo I had posted.

 

[MassJester]

But again, the eternal question - is it better for a photo to have true colors, or to have slightly incorrect but more pleasing colors? I'm not sure that the yellow is ideal, but the pure white can look a bit harsh and stark, like in the photo I had posted.

True colors for photographs in evidence so you get a yes to the foundatrional question, "Is it a fair and accurate representation of the scene as you remember it?"

More pleasing colors for the photo album.

 

[labdogs42]

I got some nice shots of Spectro Magic on my last trip and I added them all to my Smugmug account. We sat right on the corner of Main Street as it goes around the flag pole there in front of the train station (I know there is another name for this area -- what IS it? Town Square?) We had a great view! I hope you enjoy the pics! More can be found HERE.

I like how Cinderella's dress is still blue in this one, when everything else had already changed to white:

 

[prowlerregal335m]

labdogs42,great shots.I'm going to WDW on dec13.I hope to get shots as good as yours.Can you post the information on these shoots ie:iso f stop shutter speed hand held or tripod? What camera lens combo would help also. Thanks.

 

[labdogs42]

labdogs42,great shots.I'm going to WDW on dec13.I hope to get shots as good as yours.Can you post the information on these shoots ie:iso f stop shutter speed hand held or tripod? What camera lens combo would help also. Thanks.

Let's see, I used my Canon 20D with my f2.8 17-55 lens, ISO 1600, and shutter speeds from 1/25-1/40 sec. If you go to smugmug, you can find the specific data for each picture there. Oh yeah, they were all handheld.

 

[prowlerregal335m]

Thank you.I'll post some of mine when I get back.

 

[prowlerregal335m]

labdogs42,I forgot to ask jpeg or raw?

 

[labdogs42]

labdogs42,I forgot to ask jpeg or raw?

jpg. I haven't quite figured out the whole RAW thing yet. I didn't do any processing on those shots, except maybe some cropping.

 

[prowlerregal335m]

Thanks again,the last two times I was there I had a 20D also and shoot jpegs.This time I'm going to be using a 50D.I think I'm going to shoot some raw and some jpegs.

 

[Pugrpooh]

Great shots! We were there Monday night and sat in the same area. We were on the curb directly across from the train station. I got some pretty decent shots (first time at WDW with a DSLR), but I just had the kit lens on and I don't think they're as sharp as yours. I guess I'll have to get another lens and make another trip down there to hone my photographic skills.

Lynn

 

[WDWFigment]

We just returned from seven fun days at the Walt Disney World Resort. I will discuss the trip itself in an upcoming trip report, but for now, here is this shot.

This is a shot that I have had envisioned since during studying for finals in May (I think of any reason I can to daydream while studying). At the time, I was absolutely ecstatic about the shot. I thought it had never been tried before, as I had never seen a shot like it. That did, however, get me a little worried, as usually when I think of a shot that I have never seen, it: a) can't be done (angles don't line up how I remember them, things have moved/changed in the parks, or it simply isn't technically possible), or b) has been done, and I just haven't seen it, or forgot I have seen it. Although I later saw discussion about this type of shot after clicking one of Mark’s links to his other “how to” guides from the Dark Ride guide (which was a little deflating since I thought my idea was unique!), I still have yet to see a Spectro long exposure, although I doubt I'm the only one ever to have done it...

Given that I had been waiting so long to get this shot (and since it was at the "top" of my list), I wanted to get it as quickly as possible. However tripod issues and large crowds postponed it until the last night. Concerned that we wouldn't get the spot we needed at the Main Street Train Station, we waited an hour and a half in advance for this spot. It was actually pretty fun waiting there, and we even managed to 'sneak' some fine cuisine from Cosmic Ray's over for the wait. I captured several similar shots of the parade, but this is the best, in my opinion.

Anyway, here it is:

Clicking the picture takes you to its Flickr page, where there is EXIF, etc.

Anyone else have any Spectro long exposures?