Exposing the truth: How to take unreal pics with your DSLR!!! -or- You are EXPOSED!

[Marquiseo]

Two things about this article I wanted to comment on:

1. His camera chose to represent the color "green" with "yellow" while using the custom white balance. Not all camera do that, especially the higher end ones. Yes, the vendors and sellers who normally sell and know that it is doing that is a fraud. Just don't take into account that everyone who uses the custom balance setting has a camera that filters in the same manner. There could be some genuine photos out there.

2. Shooting in RAW is always the preferred method and gives you the ability give the exact representation of your coral. It is as simple as sliding the color temperature section to remove the blue haze. Now if a person messes with saturation then that is different story but not everyone that using post processing is cheating the viewer. I personally only touch the color temperature slider, exposure (if needed to), blacks slider, shadows (sometimes), and sharpening slider. If in a rare case I have to touch the saturation, it is only to bring in the colors more to what I see in front of me but it is never more than +10. Anything beyond that to me is not being honest.



Nice write up though.

 

[ReefMadScientist]

Thanks for all the feedback guys both here and private. Glad to see I'm not alone in my plight. I am afraid however, that much like giving the recipe away for prize winning chili, we may actually start to see more of these kinds of pics having explained exactly how to do it lol

That is true BUT the exposure is here and that is whats most important. Hopefully this will save many reefers some money and will understand the dirty tactics of coral selling.

So sure, you are showing people how to do it and have fun with it - but the people upset are those who have been making a killing off of camera-features and photoshop.

 

[rage1199]

Custom white balance is supposed to be used with a white card. I have done this with my camera but with a card and it never looks way off color from what I see with my eye. I use Capture One to fix the blue. Capture One can

Two things about this article I wanted to comment on:

1. His camera chose to represent the color "green" with "yellow" while using the custom white balance. Not all camera do that, especially the higher end ones. Yes, the vendors and sellers who normally sell and know that it is doing that is a fraud. Just don't take into account that everyone who uses the custom balance setting has a camera that filters in the same manner. There could be some genuine photos out there.

2. Shooting in RAW is always the preferred method and gives you the ability give the exact representation of your coral. It is as simple as sliding the color temperature section to remove the blue haze. Now if a person messes with saturation then that is different story but not everyone that using post processing is cheating the viewer. I personally only touch the color temperature slider, exposure (if needed to), blacks slider, shadows (sometimes), and sharpening slider. If in a rare case I have to touch the saturation, it is only to bring in the colors more to what I see in front of me but it is never more than +10. Anything beyond that to me is not being honest.



Nice write up though.

I have to agree here as my Sony A6000 does not make a purple coral yellow. I tried and it will not do that. I also use a white card to use custom white balance.

 

[sawdonkey]

2. In Auto WB mode go ahead and take a pic under that lighting.

My camera actually has and Auto WD mode that makes all corals super saturated and unrealistic looking like the WD Tenuis.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

Wow I'm gonna grab my Canon when I get home and try this out

 

[ReefMadScientist]

Wow I'm gonna grab my Canon when I get home and try this out

Don't be taking pictures of your algae scrubbers to make them look all glowy now!

 

[adhd_nerd]

And if you use your cell phone, you can get some gel filters to filter some of the blue.

Something along the lines of Rosco Gel [HASHTAG]#321[/HASHTAG], #21, [HASHTAG]#318[/HASHTAG]. Grab one of these free gel swatch book. It has spectrum graphs to tell you what gets filtered out.

http://www.apollooutlet.com/free-swatch-book

 

[Sangheili]

2. Shooting in RAW is always the preferred method and gives you the ability give the exact representation of your coral. It is as simple as sliding the color temperature section to remove the blue haze. Now if a person messes with saturation then that is different story but not everyone that using post processing is cheating the viewer. I personally only touch the color temperature slider, exposure (if needed to), blacks slider, shadows (sometimes), and sharpening slider. If in a rare case I have to touch the saturation, it is only to bring in the colors more to what I see in front of me but it is never more than +10. Anything beyond that to me is not being honest.

Spot on, and as a vendor this is exactly what I do. The temptation is always there to make the photos look insane but ultimately it is lying to the customer and a terrible business practice.

I have quite a few walk in customers and if the photos didn't match what they saw in the tank I would be called out for it. I shoot everything in RAW and post process with RawTherapee (excellent free app, way better then lightroom). I have also on occasion told customers that if they want the RAW version of the photos I post just ask.

 

[Joshky]

Thanks for all the feedback guys both here and private. Glad to see I'm not alone in my plight. I am afraid however, that much like giving the recipe away for prize winning chili, we may actually start to see more of these kinds of pics having explained exactly how to do it lol

Next in line will be a company that sells corals based on a certain lens and makes "Reef Glasses" for viewing pleasure.

Come one, come all, step right up and put these glasses on to see your reef go from DRAB to FAB.

 

[jolt]

What we need is a procedure to reverse the process ...

 

[ja4207]

Love the write up!!!

I however am a little more militant with this practice and think these no good worthless scammers need to be called specifically out.

Don't worry, I won't here.

 

[Reef Pets]

Thanks for all the feedback guys both here and private. Glad to see I'm not alone in my plight. I am afraid however, that much like giving the recipe away for prize winning chili, we may actually start to see more of these kinds of pics having explained exactly how to do it lol

Yep, you opened the can of beans! Now the scammers will really know how to scam!

 

[Sangheili]

What we need is a procedure to reverse the process ...

If you can get the vendor to give you a RAW file you can edit it to however you like. Problem is without being there in person its hard to know the "true to life" color.

 

[Marquiseo]

And if you use your cell phone, you can get some gel filters to filter some of the blue.

Something along the lines of Rosco Gel [HASHTAG]#321[/HASHTAG], #21, [HASHTAG]#318[/HASHTAG]. Grab one of these free gel swatch book. It has spectrum graphs to tell you what gets filtered out.

http://www.apollooutlet.com/free-swatch-book

TBH, gel filters are worse than post processing or using Custom white balance when it comes to "photoshopping corals". It overly saturates oranges and slightly with greens.



Edit: I am referring to the orange gel filters everyone is using.

 

[jjordan1904]

Ha this is great. I've played with the white balance before from other articles. I'm not sure what I was doing wrong but your way was ten times easier and quicker. Pictures came out great.
Now if I only had more coral to photograph.

Thanks

 

[jasonandsarah]

If you can get the vendor to give you a RAW file you can edit it to however you like. Problem is without being there in person its hard to know the "true to life" color.

Find a vendor you trust to tell you what it really is and looks like. I have a couple in my stick rolodex!

 

[adhd_nerd]

TBH, gel filters are worse than post processing or using Custom white balance when it comes to "photoshopping corals". It overly saturates oranges and slightly with greens.



Edit: I am referring to the orange gel filters everyone is using.

That's why you have to find the right gel filter. The freebie pack gives you very clear spectrum graph of each filter. Essentially trying to get a flat spectrum graph; whether you do it with WB (electronically) or with gel. Before digital photography the only choice was filters.

 

[feh]

I've heard of this trick before. One question. What color is the eggcrate in daylight in these examples?

 

[Tegridy Reef]

Did the trick whoooooo my corals look good

 

[gooch]

When I had my livestock business wayyyyyyyyy back when the hardest thing to compete against wasn't the competition. It was photoshop. I would take pictures under 10 k halides with no actinic. Couldn't sell anything to save my life. Never once had a disappointed customer. Just couldn't get any customers. I seriously had big named guys in the coral industry in my shop and they all were enamored with my systems and I am not kidding when I tell you more than one limited edition coral and $20 per polyp corals came out of my shop. But I never got more than $25 for fully encrusted frags. You think it is bad now. I tell you 12 years ago it was much worse. I am not saying anyone did anything to deceive as the corals that did become quite popular didn't need to be doctored......they were that special. But it was the marginal pieces that needed the extra BS. I got so tired of it I just gave up. Gave most of my livestock away. If I told you I had one coral that was selling for $20 a polyp all over the place and I had about 3,000 polyps just sitting there doing nothing but growing. I eventually gave the entire thing away when I had a fire due to a GFI failure almost burning my place down.

It is sad that 12 years later the hobby hasn't fixed this and it is pretty safe to say it probably never will. It is better. Back then it seemed as though almost every vendor did it.

I miss those days of growing coral......I was dang good at it. But I refused to mislead, quite frankly I was raised better than that. Not saying there were not good vendors back then. The good ones are still around today and I have good relationships with pretty much all of them. Guys like Adam are so good for the hobby on so many levels. Everyone looks for an edge and Adam has found it and it is so very refreshing. Honesty and integrity and a true gift of growing corals has made Battle Corals such a good name in the industry it makes me proud to know a guy like him can do what he does and have such a positive influence in the industry. He is truly Something Special From Wisconsin.