It's photo-quiz time again

[drwex]

Shooting in setting-sun light is tricky. Here are two versions of a shot; tell me which one you like better. If you like, you can peek under the cut for my comments.

Version A:


Version B:



The only difference between the two is light balance. The first one is what the camera thought it saw; the second one more closely matches how the human eye sees colors. Notice that in the first his skin has an unnatural grayish cast to it.

The trouble is that giving the colors a more human cast de-emphasizes one of the things I think is interesting about the shot, which is how the sunlight hits the subject's face. I could, potentially, play tricks to re-emphasize the sunlight while trying to keep more of the perceptual color palette, but I'm not sure how.

Comments

[mzrowan.livejournal.com]

I like Version B better, and I don't think it downplays the light on his face. If anything, it calls more attention to it, because it's more golden and lovely.

[tigira.livejournal.com]

I like version B better, too - it's warmer.
I'm also partial to the subject. I wonder what caused that concerned look on his face.

[eccentrific.livejournal.com]

I like A better. B struck me as... a bit unnatural in coloring I guess. My first impression was that it is *wrong*, but not for any reasons I can positively identify.

[anotherjen.livejournal.com]

B is more interesting because of the light on his face.

[mrw42.livejournal.com]

I like B better because the coloring looks more natural. I like the feeling in this photo that the shadows are moving in. M is looking quite serious/tense in this picture, which makes me curious about what was happening stage left...

That was what I decided to write before I read your cut. I guess A is actually more natural, but B still looks more natural to me.

I like B

[taura-g.livejournal.com]

The greater warmth in it seems more natural.

[papertigers.livejournal.com]

agree with the consensus on B; the sunlight on his face is more visible and alive. the colors overall are more intense and realistic.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Definitely B. I like the warmth of the colors, and I feel like the light is more noticeable in it as well. It looks like the subject of the picture is "the way the light is hitting M's face." In the first one, that's not as obvious.