June Outdoor Photographer Cover

What is your take on the cover? It seems way too saturated to me with inaccurate colors. (Also a very busy composition but that's a taste issue --anyway probably works better as a large print)

I just don't understand the colors -- in fact I've noticed lately that colors are getting too saturated for my taste in a lot of images and I've also seen many images that have a very digital look to them. Some of them look really great others not so.

It seems that we are getting away from the natural look associated with film and into a new world of digital that has new rules or standards. The OP cover would have been rejected 5 years ago I'm pretty sure.

What do you think? (If Glenn Randall is a member here I'd love to read his rationale for the photo.)

Frank

Well if you want to examine it. It's not perfect. There are some fg elements out focus where the bg is in focus. With out examining it the cover looks great.

Hi Steve -- so it looks great to you. I thought it might be the case that I am in the minority. Question -- do you think the colors are natural/right or over saturated? That's what I saw immediately. Maybe I don't see color the way others do. When I picked up the magazine the colors looked nearly lurid to me. I guess its either me or maybe its just the run that my copy was in. Probably just a matter of personal taste......

I'm just thankful they finally chose to use a shot of Maroon Bells for the cover, it's about time!

I would agree with you that many photos in modern magazines are way over saturated. However, carefully looking at this June 09 OP cover of the Maroon Bells, I' d say not in this case. Getting too gaudy in the artworld of paintings, for instance, simply just won't cut it, but I think it's been a fad with the new age of digital post-processing with photos, I agree that at times we get too carried away. I think Randall did everything right in that photo, got the tilt right with his 4 by 5 camera (I'm pretty sure it's 4x5), to keep the very closeup parsnips in focus as well as the mountain tops at infinity, and the exposure correct. I think the effect of 'over saturation' that may appear to some is simply the exposure adjustment to bring out detail across the image, probably using a ND grad for the sky, and being able to open up a tad more for the middle ground. Fuji films tend to be pretty rich as it is, and if used in this photo, likely what we see is the richness of those colors at proper exposure. If anything, I'd say the overall image leans on the cool side (ie a tad purplish) judging by the rock face on the upper left, but then again, in early light like at the Maroon Bells (already so vibrant in colors), all sorts of colors will pop up. It works, a nice shot and a beautiful place as well. I have not been back to the Bells for years, but am afraid to see how popular it has become. MM

Thanks, Mark for such a full response. I never heard of Maroon Bells but did suspect that the purple color was from the mountains themselves. Its the green that I noticed first (still seems unnatural to me but you've been there and not me) and then the purple.

Your answer gives me much to think about -- Its like a seminar in landscape photography!

Many Thanks,
Frank

I admit, it doesn't look WAY overly saturated to me, I've seen heavier saturation on similar images. I do like a color "pop", so maybe I'm getting used to the trend. ::::ducking as Frank takes a swing::: lol!

My beef on that cover is that it looks real Magenta-toned, and that's probably the CMYK printing process. I've seen other images originally posted by our heavy hitters on this site (Sieren/Schnepf/Adamus/Bagshaw and others) that ended up in OP and Pop Photo, and were noticably different in magazine print.

The other thing to remember is that cover images are not solely chosen because of how good a photo they are; They are primarily chosen to make someone pick-up or notice the magazine. If over-saturation does that, then that's what you'll see on the cover - even if the editor agrees with you that it's oversaturated.

(Btw, is the cover posted online anywhere?)

Hey David -- you are right -- IF over saturation does the trick (I doubt that it does but I've been wrong a few times before)

The photo is on Glenn's web site here:
http://www.colorful-colorado.com/Glenn_Randall_Colorado_Photographer.html

The colors here are more subdued but still too purple to my eyes. The green is not as vivid but still looks off to me. But maybe that's what the place (where I've never been) looks like?

Anyway before I forget to mention it -- I think its a fine photo with lots of impact -- just didn't like the colors on the OP cover.

Frank

Whoa, if that's the original, then the CMYK process wailed Glenn's image with a Magenta ray gun.

Well, I can say that I hate the website, the lead-in music just kills it! As for images, he really has a problem with ND Grads, an telling example of this is his "Vestal Basin Sunset" photo. It is just too much with the hardstep grad. He does this all too often. Other than that, yes they are a bit over saturated.

I really like his personal quote on his website at www.glennrandall.com.

"All of my landscape photographs are authentic records of memorable visual experiences. They are not enhanced either digitally or in the darkroom. What you see in my prints is what I saw through the lens." Glenn Randall

Yeah, on an acid trip maybe! Not digitally manipulated, only Fuji Velvia-pulated. Talk about over saturated beyond natural. Geeeezzzzzzzzzzzz! Authentic records, really?

"But maybe that's what the place (where I've never been) looks like?"

No. But, it is what that place looks like in photographs (at least with with Velvia film, a grad filter, and twilight). (Apologies to Winogrand)

Whether that is over the top or not is an issue of personal taste. I find it pushes the limits. But, then so do a lot of Galen's images (for me) – especially in the newest retrospective book and the current website (they were less strongly saturated in Mountain Light).

Thanks for your replies. We have the full range of opinions in this thread now.

I started this not because one image shocked me but because it was on the cover of an pretty decent magazine. I think OP has been going downhill recently -- to my taste. I've seen images with poor color accuracy and in this case the colors are just not pleasant to my eyes.

There is another issue: we are seeing the same compositions over and over. The same places over and over. Why make yet another image of the same valley or mountain -- unless you can add something --- or unless you are doing an exercise to see how close you can come to the impact of your favorite master?

The quality of the work I see here is much better than OP I think. And lately more interesting.

One of the challenges of nature photography is to put a personal stamp on one's work while staying within the bounds of what is natural. Of course as artists we can break out of those bounds but when we do the result needs to draw the viewer in somehow not repulse her.

There is a huge difference from the version on his site. It looks like there was some contrast added which saturates more but looks like there was saturation added on top of that. Most images that have a shadows way off in the distance are usually flatter. Midtones are the big craze in photoshop right now.

My step sister has the bells in here living room and she doesn't even know if she bought a painting or a photograph. Since it's on canvas I can't tell.

I met Glenn on a photo outing and he directed me to a fairly large artist co-op where he sells his prints. From my perspective his prints, including the Maroon Bells shot, are great. I even bought one of his coffeee table books. The sales lady in the co-op said his prints are very popular. When I met Glenn (a couple of years ago) he was shooting MF and LF film and would guess some of the saturation comes from the film characteristics.

I discontinued my subscription to OP a while back. Actually one of the reasons was the overdone printing of photos and gross colors. My best guess, not having seen the magazine is that their printing process pumps things up quite a bit. I guess I would say, don't judge a photographer by his OP cover.

Roger wrote:
"I guess I would say, don't judge a photographer by his OP cover."

I agree -- I was surprised to see a cover with those colors on a mag I once admired. I will not be renewing.

Frank

The quality of OP is degrading fast - I will not renew too if I have a choice. But there is nothing else like it - so they do whatever they want. May we NPNer should start a real print magazine

I visit Maroon Bells every year, some years 2-3 times in various seasons, including June when his photo was taken. The magazine cover shows the greens way oversaturated and the magenta is a bit overdone as well. The mountains are named "Maroon" for a reason. They have a magenta tint to them as does the rest of the surrounding Elk Mountain Range that they are a part of. When I picked up the magazine my first impression was how unreal it looked because of the oversaturation. My eyes have never seen colors like that whenever I visited Maroon Bells unless I was wearing some color altering sunglasses! Glenn's website version is truer to the real colors assuming Velvia film was used. Blame it on the magazine's color separations and current penchant for amped up color.

Hi Frank,
I can't remember any cover on that magazine that doesn't look like something exploded rather than a good photo. It should be renamed "Saturation Slider Magazine". I couldn't agree with you more.

-Cliff