Inky photography

[PithyProlix]

Inspired by oldfashioned-aj's recent review with some fantastic pictures I thought it would be useful to have a thread where we can share tips & tricks for photographing our ink and get feedback on our pictures.

I'll start. (Please note that I am totally an amateur!) I made this photo today by a window, on a overcast mid-day using my Poco X3 NFC phone and edited it with Snapseed. 

 

I was having trouble getting the color right on Gris de Payne - it was all dark and without much of the greenish blue that I saw on the paper - until I set the white balance on the phone's camera for sunlight, and the color came out like magic.

[theleftypenman]

I would say its a decent start but still feels like it still has a green tint, can be corrected by white balance settings in edit. Also arranging the setup can improve - eg - keep the lids open of the ink bottles around, which will also show some of the ink color. Avoid the space on left near the cutting mat that, fill it up when taking the photograph. More you do, more you improve. Cheers. 

 

Just took some liberty and did a minor color adjustment here: 

[PithyProlix]

27 minutes ago, oldfashioned-aj said:

I would say its a decent start but still feels like it still has a green tint, can be corrected by white balance settings in edit. Also arranging the setup can improve - eg - keep the lids open of the ink bottles around, which will also show some of the ink color. Avoid the space on left near the cutting mat that, fill it up when taking the photograph. More you do, more you improve. Cheers. 

 

Just took some liberty and did a minor color adjustment here: 

 

 

Yeah, mine is too green - I noticed that but I wasn't sure how to correct it (now I know to use the white balance controls in Snapseed - thanks). With respect to color accuracy yours is too blue. Here's a corrected one that is more accurate:

Yes, while I think this one is more accurate, yours looks better. My real mistake, I think, was that I put too many green things in the picture: a green-leaning ink, a green ink, paper with a slight green tint, all on top of a dark green cutting mat.

Thanks for all the advice - very helpful!

 

 

[theleftypenman]

Just did some guess work as I was not sure what color the cutting mat would be - could be blue, turquoise or green. But tried to adjust from the white of ink bottle label and the white in napkin. Color is also a very complex and subjective thing, so many factors affecting what we see overall. 

[PithyProlix]

3 hours ago, oldfashioned-aj said:

Just did some guess work as I was not sure what color the cutting mat would be - could be blue, turquoise or green. But tried to adjust from the white of ink bottle label and the white in napkin. Color is also a very complex and subjective thing, so many factors affecting what we see overall. 

Even though the color is 'off' in your guess it still looks like it could be a realistic image.

Yes, I bought a desk lamp to use while writing and learned a lot about how lighting affects color perception as well as other affecting factors - definitely very, very complex.

And I didn't previously realize how important adjusting color balance is in trying to give the right visual impression of an ink, and not just its hue. In the last picture not only did a fairly slight adjustment to the color temperature give a more accurate impression of the inks' hues but also a better representation of how they both appear 'soft' and 'low contrast' relative to most other inks.

[senzen]

It's very hard to capture some colours, particularly greenish blues like Kon Peki, so much so I would take most (very much appreciated) shots found on the web with a pinch of salt.

 

A camera that can do custom white balance can do wonders, even my old Canon 30D still runs rings around my modern phones in terms of colour accuracy and helping me get there. I haven't seen its price lately but we're probably talking about less than $100 USD, to give anyone interested an idea. No wifi, no touch screen, a barely usable LCD but there you have it.

 

A tripod can also make your life easier when there isn't much light available, I would also shoot in daylight whenever possible, but custom white balance can help with indoor lighting.

 

To help other fountain pen ink fans it would help to introduce a standard element available to everyone for free or that costs very little, that has the same colour everywhere.

 

[PithyProlix]

3 hours ago, senzen said:

To help other fountain pen ink fans it would help to introduce a standard element available to everyone for free or that costs very little, that has the same colour everywhere.

 

 

Are you referring to something like this? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33048527076.html

[senzen]

On 2/11/2021 at 12:44 AM, PithyProlix said:

 

Are you referring to something like this? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33048527076.html

 

I was thinking more... Of a can of coca cola; although some day I'll get an X-Rite Passport.

[BaronWulfraed]

Simple grey card https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/231564-REG/Delta_98705C_Gray_Card_4.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwZ_xodvs7gIVWv_jBx0LkwmJEAQYAiABEgKsePD_BwE

 

Especially if one has 1) fixed lighting (no variable flash), 2) a camera with the ability to set white balance based upon another image (fill frame with grey card, take image, set that image to define white balance for future images. Start shooting images of actual subject under the same lighting conditions){turn of custom white balance when done} If you can also set manual exposure, set exposure to that used (auto) for the grey card shot.

[SamCapote]

I always had to adjust the color that was captured by my various cameras. Each camera has their nuances, in addition to lighting. Then there is the issue of how each person’s monitor displays colors. 
 

I still use a $49 Paint Shop Pro program that I bought 30 years ago when Jasc Software put it out.  It was nearly as good at the time as Photoshop. Corel bought out Jasc and charge a lot more for bells and whistles that I would never use. 

[LizEF]

48 minutes ago, SamCapote said:

Paint Shop Pro

Ha!  I've been using that for eons!  Still have it installed.  We used to use it to capture (and sometimes doctor) screenshots for localized (translated) software - three jobs ago.   I figured I was its only remaining fan.  (Can't really figure out how to do a good job of color correction with it, though.)

[PithyProlix]

49 minutes ago, SamCapote said:

I always had to adjust the color that was captured by my various cameras. Each camera has their nuances, in addition to lighting. Then there is the issue of how each person’s monitor displays colors. 

Yes, not to mention the potential variations of ink color from manufactured batch to batch, the effect of different papers, different pens, lighting at the source, the viewer's lighting, differences in eyes, etc. ...

 

56 minutes ago, SamCapote said:

I still use a $49 Paint Shop Pro program that I bought 30 years ago when Jasc Software put it out.  It was nearly as good at the time as Photoshop. Corel bought out Jasc and charge a lot more for bells and whistles that I would never use. 

 

I have and recommend Affinity Photo which is often on sale for $25. If I just want to work on my phone then I really like Snapseed - amazing what you can do with it.

[SamCapote]

On 2/20/2021 at 12:51 AM, PithyProlix said:

Yes, not to mention the potential variations of ink color from manufactured batch to batch, the effect of different papers, different pens, lighting at the source, the viewer's lighting, differences in eyes, etc. ...

 

Very true!

 

Quote

 

I have and recommend Affinity Photo which is often on sale for $25. If I just want to work on my phone then I really like Snapseed - amazing what you can do with it.

 

Cool, always like hearing of good programs, and that does look awesome.  The Jasc Software ver 7.04 Paint Shop Pro came out in the 1990's, and has remained wonderful for PC photo/image/animation work for original $49.  There's so much more you can do on a PC than a phone.  I still have the retail box from the old days when software was only sold by floppy, CD, or DVD's.