correctmyphotos

Do you think the color of your photos is correct? And, do you care?

Chances are when you look at your digital photos on your computer screen or the prints you just picked up you don’t really ask yourself, “Is the Color Right?” And, unless some Smart Alec like me comments about the color (remember, that’s my business) you probably think the color is okay. Well, chances are pretty good that the color is not right. Look at the following photo comparison of Spearfish Falls in Spearfish Canyon, SD. The original photo (left) is dull and lifeless and seems to have a grey cloudy day color cast. The color corrected photo is much more alive and looks like the scene I saw when I took the picture.

Spearfish Falls-Before/After Color Correction

The nature of digital cameras is that unless you take the time to white balance your shots (and who has time to do that?) the color will be off to some degree. In fact, most will be dull and lifeless. And, it will vary with lighting conditions both outside and indoors. When shooting outdoors you will get the best color on a bright sunny day.  Generally, the color of indoor shots will vary greatly depending on the lighting conditions. Yes, with more expensive cameras you can compensate for incandescent or fluorescentlighting, but you will probably forget to make the adjustment. Here is an example of an indoor flash photo from a real estate listing. The room really is not a dull as it appears in the original photo posted on the internet.

Flash photos can appear dull and lifeless

 Even photos taken on a bright and sunny afternoon can appear dull. Now, if you saw the photo on the left by itself you may not think it is too bad. But, compared to a color corrected version it really is dull. 

Even a photo taken on a sunny day can be dull and lifeless