The above photo is a picture I took of an Olive DHE. The problem I have is that it appears yellow olve, where as it is actually green olive. This is a recurring theme with my photos of flies. They all appear a brighter shade than they are to the eye.

I photograph my flies using a small home studio. I place so that natural light is directed towards the front of the fly i.e from a window, then I have a lamp either side of the fly shining through the studio wall that acts as a filter. I don't use flash and I adjust my white light setting.

What am I doing wrong?

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Mixing your light sources .... in old money the shot you have posted is about + 15 Magenta and half a stop over exposed.

It's impossible to advise for variables at this end so stick to one type of light and use white bounce boards to even the light.

Avoid low energy bulbs.

Adjust camera exposure compensation - 1/3 ev.


Does the camera perform well in other conditions ????

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I put it through PS with Auto Colour. Is this what it should look like?



If it is then as has been said it is a colour balance problem.

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Yes, the camara is fine in other conditions. I'm pretty sure it is my ineptitude that is giving me problems. I'll try playing about with the light source as suggested.

Thanks.

It is closer to the colouring, but the deer hair is still a lot lighter than the subjects.

Thanks.

__________________

But Jesus beheld them and said unto them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Matthew 19:26

Nothing wrong with mixing your light sources... if your camera has the ability to compensate for the differing colour temperture values produced by the different light sources, i.e. a 'Custom White Balance' setting. Does your camera have this, Paul? (Custom White Balance is not the same as Auto White Balance). Your main problem lies with the individual light sources heavily weighting different sides of the scene - lamps on the left, natural light on the right. If your sources were 'mixed' across the scene, then white balancing would be a lot easier.
Try just using one type of light source, Paul, either indoors with lamps, or go outdoors for natural light. 'Supplementing' with natural light at the window can produce some great lighting effects for more 'arty' type shots, but for simply documenting flies, and rendering the colours/textures etc as naturally as possible, it's asking for trouble. Getting consistant results depends on a simple, easy set-up which you can return to and rely on time after time.

When using lamps, you need at least two, if not three or four. It doesn't matter about mixing halogen/tungsten, whatever, as long as you have a 'Custom white Balance' setting. Sometimes the 'Auto White Balance' setting will do a reasonable job.

The exposure on your test shot looks pretty much spot on to me, Paul. Forget about Exposure compensation for now. It has no bearing on colour balance, or your lighting issues. It's unlikely you'll need to bother with Exposure Compensation at all once you have a well lit scence, with a mid-toned background. You'll only need to start pissing around with Exposure Compensation for predominantly white or black flies. ( minus for white, plus for black).

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Buzzers 2012


Fly Clips & Stands

Thanks Scratch. I think I now know exactly what I've been doing wrong. I've been adjusting the exposure, thinking that I'm adjusting the white light.
I've now found the correct menu on the camera that gives me a choice of Auto, preset (where I am told to set it up using a bit of cardboard under the conditions I'll shoot under), incandescent or fluorescent.

I'll have a play about with them, while taking into account what you have written on not mixing light sources.

Thanks.

__________________

But Jesus beheld them and said unto them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Matthew 19:26

Suggest you use a monochrome background - mid-grey and make sure it is grey, not taupe or gunmetal or some other subtle colour.

Two advantages:

1 You simply click on the background in your editing software and say 'that is monochrome', then it doesn't matter what the temperature of your light source (your white balance) is, your software will instantly render it the correct colour scheme. Job done.

(If you find with the above that one side of the scene has a colour cast then your mixed light sources need to be balanced up a bit)

2 If you have a strongly coloured background dominating the scene it messes with the way your brain interprets the colours in the minor components - here it's the fly. (See various Horizon programmes for further information on this phenomenon.)

If you can get your hands on an official '18% grey card', you can use it to help you get a perfect exposure, as your camera is already assuming that you are photographing an 18% grey card. Use it as your background and use 'evaluative' (whole scene) metering. Hey presto - perfect colour rendition and perfect exposure in one swell foop!

Col

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Thanks Cap'n

__________________

But Jesus beheld them and said unto them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Matthew 19:26