How Does He Do It

How does this photographer achieve these brilliant colors? Is it a lens filter, film not digital, post processing.

If it is post processing could similar results be achieved with PS Elements. Is there better software.

How is the sky so blue?

I have been out shooting on sunny days with colorful subjects but my results always seem dull

Yes I recognize the name of the photographer in the link. I know the guy can be contraversial.

Please set aside your opinions of the photographer and give me advice about how to capture such color in an image.

Thanks

http://kenrockwell.com​/trips/2011-02-rt-66/12.htm

Perhaps a circular polarizer?

https://photography-on-the.net …hread.php?t=998​323&page=7

it's dang near golden hour in pretty much all of those shots... so... very low sun angle.

Use a circular polarizer, shoot 1/3 stop down and push the saturation in post production.

Refuse to click the link, but maybe you should read his site more, he has a lot of info on there.

joesecurity wrote in post #15561793
Use a circular polarizer, shoot 1/3 stop down and push the saturation in post production.

That's what it looks like to me too.

Q

Todd Lambert wrote in post #15561806
Refuse to click the link, but maybe you should read his site more, he has a lot of info on there.

Good idea.....although I'm not sure why you refuse to click the link, but.... neither here nor there.

Ken does have a lot of great ideas and tips on his site. I have seen many here make fun of him and actually call him names but it seems to me he shoots some damn fine pictures.

Email him and ask him directly how he makes those shots look the way they do. I think the suggestion above about shooting at the golden hour is spot on too. Ken talks a lot about that.

Read his site.

Thank you all for your suggestions

I have read much of his site. I enjoy his work. I know many don't like him or his opinions. I knew using him as an example would stir the pot so to speak. I don't want to make this thread about him, just use his images as an example of something I want to achieve.

I have sent him an email asking questions but he admits he gets so much email he does not respond in most cases.

Can you explain what is meant by stop down by 1/3? Does that mean under expose on purpose, or correctly expose just use a smaller aperture and longer time value?

Todd Lambert wrote in post #15561806
Refuse to click the link, but maybe you should read his site more, he has a lot of info on there.

C'mon seriously? Your that high on your anti Ken Rockwell horse that you wont even look?

To the OP:
He uses an abundance of hot air to saturate the colors in his images......LOL

He often talks about using picture styles with extra saturation. Perhaps his settings are very optimal, so it is not overdone like many images I have seen, but just enough to look great.

Lots of variables. A Circular Polarizer helps but if you don't have one of those then the easiest way I think is to underexpose slightly so you can get the nice blue sky and fix it in Photoshop if necessary. A lot of those look like they're a bit saturated as well.

Kronie wrote in post #15563522
C'mon seriously? Your that high on your anti Ken Rockwell horse that you wont even look?

Kinda' childish, ain't it?!

Well, the color shots were done with the digital Leica M9 (he shot the B&W pics with a film Leica IIIf). The "strong" colors would either be contrast and saturation added by the camera or in post processing. In our Canon cameras, you could use a Picture Style with settings for enhanced Contrast and Saturation (such as used in the Landscape Picture Style), although many of us use the Raw format and set those things in post-processing to taste.

The idea of a circular polarizser was put out, which can enhance saturation, although again with the Raw format I am typically satisfied with post-processing capabilities, it's "user choice" there...

The idea of shooting "stopped down" is a technique that goes back to the film days. Again, I'd shoot Raw and pass on that method. I don't know how it would work with jpeg shooting, but with digital it's generally a bad idea to underexpose and try to "boost" things in software. But it's something the individual shooter can play with...

That being said, I have no experience with Leica cameras. Some people here in POTN do shoot with Leica bodies, and maybe can give more input. You might check out the Leica thread and get people's input about what they are "getting":

https://photography-on-the.net …t=1045205&highl​ight=leica

I"m not even sure you'd need to add saturation. Late in the afternoon, circular polarizer, 90* to the sun......then meter off the blue sky and shoot. Add a touch of contrast in post and the colors will come out. If you really need to enhance the colors further, I personally prefer the vibrance adjustment over saturation in Lr......
This was shot late in the afternoon, with the sun to the right and exposed for the sky using a circular polarizer, the colors are pretty much as they came out of camera; I just added some contrast:

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Scatterbrained, thank you. Your image is another example of what I was looking for. Your suggestions are great. I think part of my problem is not metering for the sky.

Tonylong, thank you for your input. I should have mentioned this in the original post but I shoot with a Canon 50D body, RAW, and do little post processing in DPP.