Shooting RAW has its advantages and disadvantages. You always have to keep current with software updates and plug-ins but the ability to correct your image in post production can make you look like a photographic genius! The files are generally large and eat a lot of hard drive space.
Even the best of the best still correct their images in software after the shoot. As much as we would love to believe that professionals get it right all the time, the first time, every time, they do not. When we shot film we would have to shoot hundreds of images to get a good one and even then it was master retouched.
There are many devices that you should carry to get a good image. Using the Xrite Passport Color Checker can help you get these images. If you simply start every shoot with this device in the first image, it will help you edit your color and light in post production software. Whether you are a novice, aspiring professional or professional, you should carry one of these with you.
Using the Passport Color Checker is not the only part of the whole color management process. You should also calibrate your screen and make sure that you are using it in the same environment every time. You will find that when using the Passport Color Checker that your colors are not going to shift in a studio environment unless you move your lights.
If you are using this device in an outdoor photo shoot, you should take an image of it every 15 minutes during peak daylight hours and more like every 5 minutes around sunrise and sunset as the light shifts. Your color temperature and color can change dramatically at this time of day.
Having the right tool for the right job is always essential. Why not use a color checker if it only takes a few seconds from your routine to make you look better?
You can win an Xrite Passport Color Checker plus a $50 Gift Card from Dodd Camera with the Spring Some Swag contest from Tether Tools! Read the rules and regulations then head over to our Facebook page today and finish this sentence: “The XRite Passport Color Checker will improve my photography by _________.”