Rose Tint My World

Oh, dear.  I got so busy writing up a humorous how-to grammar guide for work that I forgot I needed to post today.  Whoops.

So, let's rectify this problem!  Look, I'm posting; what a good girl am I.

Building on the past few themes we've had here at Silver Lotus Photography, I thought this week would be a good one to discuss/showcase some of my "tinted" photographs--or, rather, photos I have digitally manipulated by using a color filter, or making my own.  It's quite fun, and it can add some high-klass (with a "k") effects to your photos.

Harbor - Oslo, Norway (Apr. 2010)

This is what I mean by tinting: the entire photo has an orangey overtone, which adds a certain dimension to the composition's tone.  It appears to be very en vogue among our young hipster photographers (at least in Huntsville) to slap on an orange filter for a "vintage" feel, and I usually think that such a method cheapens the process.  But!  I like it.  And though I was being only slightly sarcastic regarding the hipster reference, I do believe that the use of a warming filter in certain photographs can lend to a more impressive end product--not just for practical purposes, such as color correction, but also for artistic purposes.  For me, the tinting of this photo actually brings back more memories than its original, but I suppose that's because it was a very pleasant time in my life: visiting an old university friend in her place of residence at the time, Oslo, Norway.  To be cheesy, the "warming" tint brings back "warm" memories.

Oh, God.  I'm a hipster photographer.

Heather - Green Mountain, Huntsville, AL (Jul. 2009)

Pictured right is another example of a warm tint over a photograph, but this time it's more of a yellowish hue.  I like how the yellow compliments and enhances the model's skin tones and also somewhat softens the harsher greens of the plants in the background.  However, the tint also provides a painterly aspect to the viewer, or at least a softer view of the picture overall. 

Additionally, the yellow hue heightens the greens, yellows, and oranges of the model and the background while providing that softness.  Neat, no?

No?  Aw.

Sloss Furnace, Birmingham, AL (Sept. 2010)

On the other hand, a cooler-hued tint can produce the opposite effect on a photo.  At left, we see that the blue overtones produce a cold persona, both in the photo and with the model.  Along with enhancing the blue shirt and eyes, the color filter brings a sort of overcast air to the photo, lending a feeling of melancholy and perhaps even loneliness.  (Perhaps a representation of how isolated we feel in this crumbling--OUCH, I was JOKING.)  While the photo would have looked fine on its own, the model's facial expression, along with his stance, gives itself well to a more isolated and colder tint than the sunny day had.


Well, that's it for me!  I'll see you Wednesday with some more awesomeness.