Any tricks to maintain consistant color? Track shots.

[mikefitz6]

I need some opinions.

I think the thing I struggle with more than anything else is trying to get consistant color. Of course when the team has multiple colors of green jerseys and the sun plays hide and seek in the clouds, it is real hard for me to be sure of colors. I especially go nuts when the sun is setting trying to decide if the red hue adds to the pictures or detracts. I suspect that the athlete/school/parents could care less about an accurate red glow. As a result I PP till I get a half breed color that is most likely even worse.

Here are a few shots. I would appreciate some comments.

Cloudy/Hazy day. Are the colors too dull on this jumper?
1

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Same day. The skin on this jumper seems to have too much red. This was a day where the sun intensity was always changing. Picking a WB of say 5500 just does not give consistant skin tones or uniform colors. How do you handle this?
2

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The red tint bounces off the track to confuse issues more. You can see this on the bottom of his legs.
3

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See the next shot to compare jersey colors.
4

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Nice diffuse light. The color of the jersey is not as intense as the color of the one above. They should be the same. There was probably 200 pictures in between these two shots when I was PP. As I look at this next shot bumping up the contrast may have helped, but I think it would comparing every shot would be a time nightmare!
5

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Sun popped out camera left and I overexposed the right side of his body. If I tone down the overexposure, then the face is too dark. The other option is too spend way too much time with each photo to make it perfect.
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Here is my half breed red glow/setting sun picture. Do you try and correct for the red? Leave it in?
7

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Is there a trick to get consistant colors without doubling PP time? Do you just assume that parents/athletes will not be that critical when looking at pictures? Do most of you have an inner skill to perfectly match colors and skin tone?

Thanks for your answers.

 

[MikeMcA²]

I think the only way to control light and have absolutely consistent colors would be to shoot all sports in a studio.

This is why I shoot RAW for events where colors of bikes and uniforms change, overall lighting conditions change, and lighting angles change as the subject goes down track. For sports like long jump, vaults, sprints or other "one direction" sports where you have no option to change angles and still get faces, you're either going to have to accept back-lighting and work to expose for uniforms and faces and perhaps blow out background highlights, or shoot with fill flash, which might not be allowed.

For constantly changing weather/lighting and varied skin tones/uniform colors, you can shoot in RAW and have a little more PP work, or constantly change settings, metering, WB up front. It's all work.

 

[mikefitz6]

Mike,

I also shoot RAW. I think you have stated what I already know. To get better you need to work at it. I was hoping for that NX2/Photoshop trick that would allow everything to be a one step process!

I expect that is why I am constantly frustrated with my shots compared to some I see. I need more experience and especially experimentation in the off season. I need to have in camera settings figured out for various light conditions. And worse of all, I may never have the ability to reach the level I aspire to. I am not picking on myself. It is just that only a few are the best surgeons, runners, business men, or photographers.

But that does not mean I will not try.....!

 

[kiwi]

Who cares ? I dont. Parent wont. Editor wont.

Really nice shots. Really like #4

 

[MikeMcA²]

Michael,

Your shots are a head above already. You work with what you're given, and you seem to be making the most of it. Things like red Tartan Track reflection or muted colors on a gray day can't really be overcome, other than never shooting on Tartan or moving the games into studio. I'm looking at your images on a color-balanced laptop, and man, they look fine to me. I am sure any AD or parent/athlete will love them. It's admirable that you want to be the best.

But kind of like the old Serenity Prayer, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference," there is a time to stop beating yourself over conditions you cannot change.

That said, LR 2, and its selection brush option, would be a good investment if you want to take the time to learn it.

 

[McQ]

I think your colors are fine. The pics are great. We all worry and nitpick over our photos, but sometimes it just doesn't matter.

I don't worry about reflected colors any more, like from a track, or from a green field. Why not? Because that's what the color really is. It's what my eyes see, so why not my camera? We just don't notice it as readily when we're spectating.

The only person here I've seen shoot consistently "perfect" colors without using RAW is MikeMac. Most of us (sorry if I'm offending my fellow photogs!) rely on RAW.

Again, I think you're getting the colors very well. Sometimes (as in your first pic) it's just a matter of adding a little contrast in post.

 

[mikefitz6]

Mike, Darren, and Glenn,

Thanks for the opinions. I guess we can be our own worst critic at times. I'll keep reaching for that perfect level though!

 

[Voyager1968]

I think your colors are fine. The pics are great. We all worry and nitpick over our photos, but sometimes it just doesn't matter.

I don't worry about reflected colors any more, like from a track, or from a green field. Why not? Because that's what the color really is. It's what my eyes see, so why not my camera? We just don't notice it as readily when we're spectating.

The only person here I've seen shoot consistently "perfect" colors without using RAW is MikeMac. Most of us (sorry if I'm offending my fellow photogs!) rely on RAW.

Again, I think you're getting the colors very well. Sometimes (as in your first pic) it's just a matter of adding a little contrast in post.

I shoot RAW as well for sports. It just gives me more options for tweaking white balance and color casts, which can be all over the place, even in controlled lighting situations such as gymnasiums. I have to admit that reflected colors still bother me, but it's hard to fix because it is what it is. I had a lot of red skin tones in my last track meet just because the track was red. You can perhaps tone it down a bit, but you really won't be able to completely eliminate it.

 

[Otter]

Ditto Glenn.

 

[lcrazyaznl]

I agree about shooting raw it does help fixing horrible wb, and colors.

I've shoot for my college paper, and I just try to work with what I got since most sports you can only stand in one area, most of the wb and settings are fixed.