Poppy Appeal

The Royal British Legion has launched it's annual Poppy Appeal in aid of British service men and women, in the 90th year after the end of the First World War. The appeal forms the basis of the organisation's fund raising and is especially vital with our forces continuing commitment in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I have a gallery of photos associated with the theme of Remembrance on the site.

But most importantly, please give generously to the appeal.

 
Copyright © Greg Wright 2005-14 Photography from Frome - All rights reserved
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  Upgrade?

Deciding when to upgrade can be a difficult question. The shelf life of new cameras seems to be ever decreasing as manufacturers release new models and try to seduce consumers into parting with their hard earned cash with promises of increased performance.

Having a shiny new camera in your hand is always a nice feeling and, let's face it, the idea of new equipment giving better images is attractive. A lot of people get drawn into this upgrade cycle, when their system manufacturer brings out a new model they have to have it. This can get very expensive and

Maybe a better approach is to look at the equipment you have and if it is delivering the goods, stick with it. Don't fix what isn't broken, as the saying goes. If, on the other hand, there are things that you are having trouble with, first of all check your technique. Is that hint of softness down to a poor lens or a badly supported camera?

If your technique is solid, then go for it. Buy the shiny new camera or lens, after doing the necessary research. If you get it right then your images really will improve.

This is why I have just upgraded my mandolin. I was getting frustrated with the old one. It was a beginners model, the tone was not great and the set up wasn't too clever. So I upgraded. Now I know that any problems are down to me and not my equipment. The new instrument features in the photos that illustrate this entry. They were taken with my aging DSLR. 
Copyright © Greg Wright 2005-14 Photography from Frome - All rights reserved
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  Colour Space

Eventually all digital photographers have to decide which colour space to use for their imaging. So how should you decide which is best for you from all the options available?

Many people will start off using the sRGB colour space and for the majority of users there is no point in changing. This colour space has a relatively small gamut but it is adequate for many purposes. Most web browsers do not look at an image's colour space before displaying it on the screen. sRGB images will be shown as the photographer intended but those in AdobeRGB will often appear pale and washed out. Many online printers use the sRGB space. Certainly, when I check with mine, Photobox, they said they wanted images in sRGB.

Many people find out that AdobeRGB has a larger gamut and then assume that it will automatically be a better choice. As we have already seen, it isn't for web display and for online printing. You many get better results on your desk top printer or you may not. You will have to check with your printer manufacturer. Another downside of AdobeRGB is that your monitor is unlikely to be able to display the extended gamut properly.

Both sRGB and AdobeRGB, for the same bit depth, can display the same number of colours. With AdobeRGB there is a wider variation but each individual colour is further from the next one. With sRGB there is less variation but the individual colours are closer together. Imagine two ladders. Both have the same number of rungs but one is taller than the other and its rungs are further apart. AdobeRGB is the tall ladder and sRGB is the shorter one. Then there is ProPhotoRGB which has some of the advantages of each colour space. There is a good description of it on the Luminous Landscape.

So, how should you decide which colour space to use? I suggest looking at the problem from the end. What colour space do you need for you output? Once you have answered this question then the answer becomes easier. If you only want to show your images on the web and use online printers then there is little reason to leave sRGB, especially if you edit using 16 bit files which you should be doing anyway.

My workflow is based on AdobeRGB however. A large proportion of my images end up with Alamy who insist on images submitted to them being in the AdobeRGB space. As this is my most common output, my workflow is based around this requirement. When I want to display photos on the web or send them to my online printer, I convert (not assign) the colour space to sRGB. It is certainly better to go from a larger gamut to a smaller one, especially if it is done at 16 bit before reducing to 8 bit for delivery of the final image file.

I have tried ProPhotoRGB but it is not for me as it introduces even more complications to the workflow. But it may be the best choice for you. 
Copyright © Greg Wright 2005-14 Photography from Frome - All rights reserved
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