I have replied separately and at some
length to Julian on this, explaining why I think my colours were reasonably
accurate for light and body-part. He has a professional interest in
colouration.
With everyone snapping away with their
digitals, I think the colour of birds is something we are going to hear a LOT
more about.
By the time I look at an image on my
monitor, it has already been ‘read’ three times: once by the
camera, once by my computer program, once by my monitor settings. When it
appears on your monitor it has been interpreted a couple of times more. In
editing, just changing the intensity of the light or contrast can markedly
change the appearance of a colour. Many digital images I have seen show
signs also of manipulation also of the hue and saturation. Whether this
was with the object of producing the colour that my monitor reveals or a
different colour I will never know.
These seem to be the main reasons for manipulating
a colour:
a) Inadvertent (well OK, I agree that’s not a reason);
b) to produce the colour that your eye saw;
c) to produce the colour your eye would have seen if it was a better
and brighter day;
d) to produce the colour that your field guide shows;
e) to produce a colour that should be there (Hey, look, it’s an
Orange-bellied Parrot, so let’s have some orange!);
f)
to produce
a more attractive picture even if it is lurid (lurid can be a very attractive
quality) well beyond the point of what is natural.
For myself, I see nothing wrong with any
of these, except maybe (a), depending on your purpose.
From: Julian Robinson
[
Sent: Tuesday, July 11, 2006 1:19
PM
To:
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Quiz
5 answers
Geoffrey thanks for these quizzes, I enjoyed my only entry. They
obviously require a fair effort both to prepare and to 'mark', but (especially
this last and somewhat easier one) are greatly appreciated by at least this
participant. I remain mystified by numbers 5 & 6 and need a reality check
to prepare for my next attempt at the Spring quizzes. On my computer
these both are distinctly orange/pink. Do some kookaburras actually have
some pink plumage, or is this just my monitor or a photographic artifact?
Likewise, the Spotless Crake which I wouldn't recognise anyway, from my book
has no pink/orange at all, just a very brown kind of brown, so ... same
question.
Thanks again
Julian
