Flowers and accurate color: Happened by this beautiful bush of flowers this morning while walking the dog. These are giant flowers. See the second post showing me putting a gray card...

Kaib795 Loc: Maryland, USA

Happened by this beautiful bush of flowers this morning while walking the dog. These are giant flowers. See the second post showing me putting a gray card next to the flower to control color in post, note how big the flower is to my hand! The second and third shot are screen captures to show the effect of properly adjusting the white balance (to the right is the original image with the yellow cast, to the left it's color adjusted properly).

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Terrymac Loc: LONDON U.K.

Nice shots, good explanation. Thanks.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Terrymac wrote:

Nice shots, good explanation. Thanks.

foodie65

Kaib795 wrote:

Happened by this beautiful bush of flowers this morning while walking the dog.......

Hibiscus flower??

Muddyvalley Loc: McMinnville, Oregon

Thanks! A great illustration.
I should be doing that more often when I go out.

Kaib795 Loc: Maryland, USA

foodie65 wrote:

Hibiscus flower??

Thanks for all the comments. When I walked the dog later that same evening all the flowers were wilted from our 100 degree heat. Luckily there are other buds to bloom and folks can enjoy seeing them later. This is usually the case for me, if I see a good shot and have the time to get it ... I do. Wind, rain or in this case extreme heat damage the flowers so there is a bit of luck to capturing them.

With softer colors it's all to easy to make feel good adjustments to the image and before you know it, the flower is a different color. Only adjustments were to lens profile and using the gray card to get the true White Balance. Nothing else done except for cropping. I did take 11 shots and narrowed it down to only one final picture.

Thanks for identifying this flower as a Pink Hibiscus. I had no idea what it was but plan to grow some next spring.

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

Kaib795 wrote:

Happened by this beautiful bush of flowers this morning while walking the dog. These are giant flowers. See the second post showing me putting a gray card next to the flower to control color in post, note how big the flower is to my hand! The second and third shot are screen captures to show the effect of properly adjusting the white balance (to the right is the original image with the yellow cast, to the left it's color adjusted properly).

Have you tried an Xrite ColorChecker Passport? It goes beyond balancing with a gray card and deals with the entire color response from the camera to develop a camera/lens/light specific color profile that is 100% unerringly neutral.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Nice demonstration of the use of a gray card and thanks for sharing. I have been using a gray card for years, but moved over to something better. Take a look at the QPCARD 101, which has 3 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" patches of white (93 luminescence), 18% gray (46 Luminescence), and black (33 luminescence). It comes in a 3 pack for $18 and each card has a handy dandy tape strip to hold it in place. The white and black patches can be used to set exposure at the shoot and balance and contrast in PP. https://www.adorama.com/imqpc.html?origterm=qpcard+101&searchredirect=true

Kaib795 Loc: Maryland, USA

Gene51 wrote:

Have you tried an Xrite ColorChecker Passport? It goes beyond balancing with a gray card and deals with the entire color response from the camera to develop a camera/lens/light specific color profile that is 100% unerringly neutral.

Thank you Gene. Yes, I do have this color checker but not in this camera bag. The Xrite ColorChecker is great.

I also have the three tonal card with white, gray and black (and a neck version of the three but as single cards you fan apart for the test shot. My problem is I have bags setup for events so I just grab it and go. More critical gear has the better color checkers, the lighter gear has the three cards or a gray card.

Most importantly is to just use them and not be in such a hurry. This flower would have been to magenta if not for the gray card. It's quite easy to use, I just have to remember to slow down. The card seems to help me out most with these softer colors. If you adjust only a tad in one direction and the color will be off.

Kaib795 Loc: Maryland, USA

Strodav wrote:

Nice demonstration of the use of a gray card and t... (show quote)

Thank you, I'm always up for using new items that may improve my work. I have similar cards, some combined and another as three cards of the same. But as my gear grows and gear remains in back packs or sling bags, this is where my cards need to be. I'll give your card a try too. They are cheap and more is better in this case so I'm not hunting for them! LOL I only wish our weather here would cool down. Tomorrow it's going to hit 100 degrees. The only fun time to shoot outside is early in the morning.

roxiemarty Loc: Florida

In Indiana, they call these "dinner plate" hibiscus. They are huge! Nice explanation. Thanks.

Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

Kaib795 wrote:

Thanks for identifying this flower as a Pink Hibiscus. I had no idea what it was but plan to grow some next spring.

There is a native North American species - Hibiscus moscheutos, common name "Rose mallow" - that you might want to consider, as there are ongoing efforts to protect and preserve it. I grow it with a lot of success. The picture at the page I linked to shows a variation that is white with a red center, but they can also be various shades of pink.

https://www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/field-guide/entry/rose_mallow

This looks like a good source for plants:

http://chesapeakenatives.org/

Mike

Kaib795 Loc: Maryland, USA

Blenheim Orange wrote:

There is a native North American species - i Hibi... (show quote)

Thanks for all the nice comments. I'll have to check out the chesapeake bay nursery sales. It seems like a very fragile flower and everything effects them. The good thing is the bush has lots of buds.

Kaib795 Loc: Maryland, USA

Gene51 wrote:

Have you tried an Xrite ColorChecker Passport? It goes beyond balancing with a gray card and deals with the entire color response from the camera to develop a camera/lens/light specific color profile that is 100% unerringly neutral.

Thanks again Gene, my X-Rite i1 Photographer Kit is on it's way from B&H. Cheers