Hey guys, Andy here. Something that I irregularly think about is colour management in regards to photography. Is the colour I’m looking at on a screen really the colour that it was when I took the shot? And when I print, how accurate are the colours in the print compared to the screen I have been working on?
My grandfather Denis had a story about the importance of colour which he used to tell his students when he was art master at Epsom College later in life. The story related to a particular sortie he undertook as a Spitfire pilot in the Royal Air Force in World War 2 where shortly after take off he looked over to his wingman and he noticed a large splash of red in the cockpit. Denis feared the worst and that something unexpected and untoward had happened, however he was unable to communicate with his wingman via the radio. Using hand gestures to convey his orders, both Spitfires turned around and landed back at the airfield. En route back Denis had crashed out the airfield emergency services in response to his concerns and proceeded to guide in his wingman to land first. After circling around and then landing himself, Denis leapt out of his cockpit and sprinted across the airfield to check on his wingman who was absolutely fine. As for the red Denis has seen in the cockpit? A lovely thick red scarf to keep his wingman warm while flying.
While not a potentially life or death situation; in regards to photography and colour, what is the point of investing time and effort in lighting, composition and editing only for a result which does not accurately represent the colours you have worked on?
So what is colour management in photography? Colour management is the process of controlling colours that are represented across various devices such as cameras, computer monitors, printers and paper. The aim is to ensure that your colours look the same (or as similar as possible) across all the devices in your workflow. The risk is if you do not conduct colour management, your colours will not be consistent and will vary, producing unexpected and usually unwelcome results.
Why does this happen? Cameras do not record colour the way a human eye perceives it. As a result of differences in manufacturer, materials used, software and so on, different colours in different devices process colour differently. This means the colour you see on one device may not be the same when viewed on another device with the greater the amount of devices in a workflow, the greater the variation in colour from start to finish.
It is important to accept that due to differences in the nature of monitors and prints, colours will never exactly match. When viewing an image on a monitor your eye is seeing transmitted light compared to the viewing of a print where your eye is seeing reflected light. Transmitted light can produce a greater range of contrast and colour intensity than images printed on paper, but bear in mind, when viewing prints, reflected light can also vary with different times of day offering different shades and tones.
Environmental factors can also affect colour management. Direct sunlight on a monitor can cause glare and alter how colours look giving your eye an inaccurate representation of how they should look. Equally it is worth considering neutral colours in your workplace as brightly coloured furniture or walls may reflect off a screen. It is also worth noting that monitors may take 30 minutes to warm up during which time colours may subtly shift.
While it may appear dull, colour management is essential to ensuring accurate colour throughout a workflow and for desired result.
For more reading;
andybarnham
I am a portrait photographer based in Cheltenham, UK. Born in Hong Kong to a Chinese mum and British dad, I had an international upbringing while I educated in the UK. I started photography as a hobby while serving as an officer in the British Army.
After my service I turned this passion into a career and became immersed in London's sartorial scene. I am now focusing my camera on portraiture and using this eye for detail which was refined over ten years. As a former Royal Artillery officer it is only fitting I shoot with a Canon camera.
