"Basilica" by Kevin Raber

[peterwgallagher]

It's an 'inevitable' image, I guess: Michelangelo's astonishing Dome and Greek Cross Nave in St Peter's. These two from a couple of weeks ago (Oly OMD-EM1 II, 12-100mm at 12mm, ISO 5000, f/7.1).

Why two? Only because I processed these quickly without realizing that I'd chosen a different white-bal for each. When I saw them side-by-side I wondered which (if either) was 'accurate'. Maybe neither. Kevin might be much closer to the 'truth'. But, honestly, I'm not troubled by that.

Best, P

[langier]

Either is fine. IMO, it's not about your vision not about "pixel perfect" and as accurate as you saw the colors. That's usually boring.

[Kevin Raber]

What a great place to photograph.  The only way to accurately know the white balance in an environment like that is with a color temp. meter or to shoot a gray card.   There is a lot of influencing colors in there and that can throw off any white balance.  When adjusting WB for the image I made I look at neutral areas such as the light rays and try to eliminate and color shifts.

[Kevin Gallagher]

 Peter, both versions are indeed gorgeous, Were the shots handheld?

[peterwgallagher]

Yes, both hand-held, as I imagine Kevin’s was. You need a some sort of license to use tripods or lighting in St Peter’s. I was standing with a huge crowd at the low wooden rail of the nave (pretty much where KR was standing, too, I guess) beside a gate in the center. A guard had let an elderly Chinese couple stand just inside the gate while a woman (daughter?) took their portrait on a phone with the imposing Bernini baldachin in the background. But her phone was set to “flash”. The guard was gruffly warning her to stop but the woman didn’t seem to understand. It was not a great place for a steady-shot (even with the OMD’s IS).

Both shots are composites of 5-6 shots taken in quick succdession at the same settings then stacked into a “smart object” in PS with the stacking algorithm set to “mean” to reduce luminance noise.

Kevin is right, of course, about the use of a meter or some remembered-neutral spot to set an accurate WB.

[luxborealis]

“Accurate–Shmacurate” Only pedantic photographer’s worry about colour balance. When will photographers finally allow themselves to enter the world of artistic expression? Are you shooting for a textbook or for personal expression?

Sorry. I don’t mean to lash out at you, personally, Peter. You struck a nerve by reflecting an age-old problem with photography. Too many photographers somehow think they must be “accurate” as if they must reproduce the world as it exists. NO! We never have and we never will unless, as I eluded to above, we are shooting for a textbook or as an archivist.

[peterwgallagher]

No problem, Terry. I agree with you, I think. Our art is bound to be interpretative even when it's trying to be representational. I'm not sure that was my aim with these image, BTW. When I'm quickly processing dozens of holiday snaps, I'm generally trying to recreate my impressions at the time; not the "thing as such".