TR Forums

I'm having a hell of a time getting pictures of some of my snakes. One in particular is a lavender phase albino, and is a mix of lavender, purple, and yellow. But I can't anything but yellow and white to show through in a photo yet. I'm using my Canon SX100 IS for my attempts so far. Any thing I can do with lighting?

First make sure you are using an appropriate white balance. Setting a custom white balance against a neutral coloured object would be a good idea. If you're using some kind of harsh fluorescent lighting you could try incandescent lighting instead. Otherwise, try adjusting the camera's colour settings (vivid, neutral, etc.). Still not satisfied? Install CHDK on your camera and shoot RAW.

How is the lighting? Even if it looks fine to your eyes, it may not be enough for the camera. It may be bumping up the ISO which can reduce saturation and contrast. I would try to get a cheap 250 or 500 watt work light and simply aim it at the opposite wall, fill the room with bouncing photons.

1) are you using (on camera) flash or off-camera light (i.e. ambient, etc.)?
2) Is the snake's color due to pigmentation or iridescence?

Different combinations of 1 and 2 can produce dramatically different results.

Pigmentation, not irridesence. I've tried with flash or no flash, but have not tried any special room lighting. I can't really put a light in her cage, so I may try to set up a box that can hold her long enough for me to take some pictures and work in a light room or maybe outside. I'll have to figure something that'll hold her that I can take a picture through though.

Also, some cameras really have a difficult time capturing tones of purple/lavender/violet. I have a dark purple shirt, and for some reason, alot of cameras, especially nikons and compacts can only make it blue. And by that i mean that they turn a deep purple into a deep blue. Its a crazy difference.

I would make sure your white balance is accurate. Manually setting it is the best option. From there I would turn your exposure down a hair and see if any of your colors are getting blown out. I've played with a lot of compacts that blow out violets to white easily.

Voilets and purples seem to be the most difficult colors for digital cameras to negotiate. Your white balance setting needs to be spot on. And, as STC said, exposure is critical, too. Even the slightest over exposure with blow out delicate color.

Moreover, you need to be working with a calibrated monitor and printer. Calibration helps ensure that the colors with which you started are there when you're finished with the final print.