fhuhman Loc: Jefferson City, MO

Some photographer on the Weather Channel claimed that you get better colors with a smaller aperture. He was talking about fall colors. Anyone heard of this?

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

A smaller aperture is not a proviso for getting 'Better' colours. One could get more of a scene in sharp focus. Perhaps that is what he was inferring.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

True to a certain extent, simply because smaller apertures result in longer exposure times allowing for more color saturation. More true with film than digital. TOO long an exposure runs the risk of blurring the image due to wind movement of the foliage. Proper exposure and focus is your BEST option.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Try shooting on cloudy days, or after a rain, or slightly under-exposed. All will give you better color saturation.

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

Put on a cp filter too

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

f, to get the best colors, you need the BEST light!
There is NO substitute for GOOD light, whether artificial or natural, regardless of aperture.
Good luck. ;-)
SS

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Obviously not someone who's advice you can trust.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I am not sure what a longer exposure has to do with color saturation - can you please elaborate on this one.

drmarty Loc: Pine City, NY

:thumbup:

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Especially when you consider how accurate his forecasts are. :D

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I have just given this a lot of thought - and it is pure nonsense. Shutter speed has nothing to do with color saturation. Light is light. Digital sensors are linear in nature, unlike film which has a reciprocity failure factor to take into consideration, usually at exposures longer than a second.

So, an image of a static subject taken at F16 and 1/4 second will look no different than one taken at F4 and 1/30 sec - provided the lens's aperture and the camera's shutter speed are accurate.

Following the logic that longer shutter speeds increase saturation, then it would make sense that images taken with speedlights and strobes, which, on a Nikon SB900 can range from 1/880 sec at full power to 1/38500 sec at the lowest power, I should see greater saturation in colors when using the flash at low power compared to high power.

What is true is that sometimes overexposure can wash out colors - sky, specular reflections on surfaces, etc - and decreasing exposure can increase saturation, as will using a circular polarizer.

Changing exposure, not just the shutter speed, is what affects color saturation.

flyguy Loc: Las Cruces, New Mexico

I think that this is probably the best answer of all that were offered.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Correction - said it backwards - low power=really short exposures = which should have very poor color saturation, and longer exposures (at high power) should be very saturated.

twowindsbear

MT Shooter - so, a shot at - say - 1/30 @ f32 will have more saturated colors than the same scene shot at 1/125 @ f16, under the IDENTICAL lighting, the next frame, just as quick as I can change the camera settings?

Mark7829 Loc: Calfornia

NOT TRUE or all of us would be shooting at f/59.