best film for shooting in forest

[llung]

I recently took some shots in the woods using fujicolour reala and the colours were really pale and drab. Does anybody have any suggestions on what film to use or any other shooting techniques which would allow me to get really saturated greens?

Thanks!
Lucas

[ckimmerle]

Lucas,

Are you sure it was the film that is the cause of the drab colors? It could be bad film processing or bad printing or bad paper processing. That's the trouble with color negative film, ya never know.

Reala should have given you very good results if processed and printed properly. If you're up for shooting chromes (slide film), Fuji Velvia is your ticket. It does wonderfully with the greens of a forest and nobody ever accused if of not being saturated.

Chuck

[filipdabrowski]

I agree: get yourself some Velvia...best film for landscape photography, I think.

[llung]

Thanks for the tip. I'll bring the negatives to a different shop and see if the results are any better, but the shop I brought them to is one of the better ones here in Toronto. It was also suggested that underexposing a bit might have helped with colour saturation, but looking over the shots, I suspect that wasn't the problem.

I've never shot with Velvia, primarily because I've seen the results my flatmate gets when he attempts to render them into prints. At the same time, I suspect that there must be some way to get slide film to look decent in print form. Any suggestions on that front?

[filipdabrowski]

Thanks for the tip. I'll bring the negatives to a different shop and see if the results are any better, but the shop I brought them to is one of the better ones here in Toronto. It was also suggested that underexposing a bit might have helped with colour saturation, but looking over the shots, I suspect that wasn't the problem.

I've never shot with Velvia, primarily because I've seen the results my flatmate gets when he attempts to render them into prints. At the same time, I suspect that there must be some way to get slide film to look decent in print form. Any suggestions on that front?

When you shoot slides you have to get them developed in a PRO lab...not your local Wal-Mart. The lab makes all the difference...and, also very important, you need to get the slides printed on good photographic paper. Normal Kodak or Fuji papers just won't do. Slides are far superior to negatives...but one must process them the right way to get the full benefit. Just find a lab that pro photogs use to develop their slides and you'll be fine.

[jim_panzee]

I shot this on Velvia 50, with my Leica 111f.



You can't get more woody than that.

What I do, is scan the transparency to Photo Shop, make any adjustments you want, transfer to a CF card and then get a good Lab to print the end result.



JimP.

[paulsilkphotography]

It was also suggested that underexposing a bit might have helped with colour saturation,

Actually you should overexpose with color negative to increase saturation, its with slide film that you underexpose

[road_runner]

llung - Just about evryone I came across who was getting prints from slides to exhibit in the shows used The SlidePrinter. They advertise in Outdoor Photography. I had several prints made by them from my Velvia slides. They do excellent work. Give them a chance - prices are reasonable, service is fast and they do excellent work. Here is their website:
http://www.slideprinter.com .

BTW - The SlidePrinter made me a few 20X30 in prints which I matted and framed in cherrywood frames, and got $225 for each of them. My Feather and Fur gallery shows some of the wildlife I had shot using Velvia and used SlidePrinter to print up.

http://www.pbase.com/road_runner/feathers_and_fur

For getting prints from slides, most of us used a place out of Ft. Collins Colorado called Fine Print. They do excellent work. They made all the inter-negs for me from some Velvia and Provia slides. They also geneerated all the prints I had in inventory from medium format and 35mm negs as well. They sell only packaged quantities of 6 or more of each print though. Their prices are not bad. If you plan to exhibit and sell in the Art Shows, you may want to consider them for your large print quantities.
Her is their web site:
http://www.fineprintimaging.com/[/url]

Here is a medium format transparency the SlidePrinter printed in a 16X20 for me:


road_runner
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