Woman with magenta hair

[RBSinTo]

Taken a few weeks ago in the temporary Farmer's Market building immediately south of the St. Lawrence Market here in Toronto.
While my Wife, our Son, Daughter-in-Law and two of our grand-children shopped, I walked around looking for interesting people to photograph. Despite the horrible fluorescent lighting, which I knew would give my slides a greenish cast, I hoped to find something I'd like.
Finally a scene caught my eye. A young woman with magenta highlights in her hair was standing still with an essentially blank wall behind her. I waited until a couple of other shoppers walked through the back ground and then using a short, high speed telephoto grabbed this shot.
motorized Nikon F3P
Vivitar Series 1 135 2.3 AI manual focus
Fujichrome 400 pushed one stop
f2.3 @ 1/60th

[John 2]

I like the subtle colour rendering Robert and the character you have captured in her expression. It's a nice impromptu portrait. I know that you scan and then finish in PS and so my only thought is that you could kill the highlight on the neck of the background individual on the left and generally take down the lighter area in the middle BG. Good capture.

[RBSinTo]

I like the subtle colour rendering Robert and the character you have captured in her expression. It's a nice impromptu portrait. I know that you scan and then finish in PS and so my only thought is that you could kill the highlight on the neck of the background individual on the left and generally take down the lighter area in the middle BG. Good capture.

John,
Thanks for the comments and suggestions.
Neither the bright spot which isn't a well defined specular highlight, nor the difference in the brightness in the center background area bother me, and from past experience, I find that my Photoshop playing in large blank areas usually leads to visual disaster when I'm done. Still, I'll take your advice and try fooling with it later, and see if it looks better to me.
Robert

[Manfred M]

A good lesson as to why to avoid fluorescent lighting in both film and digital. That green cast makes everyone look unhealthy.

In many ways this image looks like you have desaturated the colours. Definitely an interesting and effective shot. I would also go along with John's comments and suggestions.

[fotugraphy]

Fully Agreed with Manfred here. You may also consider to desaturate and change the hues for that green to something soothing.

[RBSinTo]

A good lesson as to why to avoid fluorescent lighting in both film and digital. That green cast makes everyone look unhealthy.

In many ways this image looks like you have desaturated the colours. Definitely an interesting and effective shot. I would also go along with John's comments and suggestions.

Manfred and Raj,
Thanks for the comments.
I have an FLD filter which corrects for the fluorescent green cast but one loses some speed when using it, which would have negated the effect of the push to gain some speed.
Besides I neither have one for every lens I own, nor carry any filters with me most of the time.
I did do some desaturation after colour correcting for the cast in Photoshop, and even considered turning it into a black and white, but didn't like the result, so left it as you see it here.
Robert

[Manfred M]

I have an FLD filter which corrects for the fluorescent green cast but one loses some speed when using it,

Yes they can help, but the problem with fluorescent fixtures is that there are so many different types out there, cool white, day light, warm white, etc. Add to that each fluorescent tube manufacturer has its own "secret sauce" of phosphors that have their own spectral characteristics, that are different even when the tubes are labelled with the same colour temperature rating. Trying to design a universal filter is impossible, but at least they improve the light.

I'd have to agree, they do cut back the amount of light, but it's really the only way to address that green spike that is characteristic of these lamps.

[RBSinTo]

Yes they can help, but the problem with fluorescent fixtures is that there are so many different types out there, cool white, day light, warm white, etc. Add to that each fluorescent tube manufacturer has its own "secret sauce" of phosphors that have their own spectral characteristics, that are different even when the tubes are labelled with the same colour temperature rating. Trying to design a universal filter is impossible, but at least they improve the light.

I'd have to agree, they do cut back the amount of light, but it's really the only way to address that green spike that is characteristic of these lamps.

Manfred,
In another life I worked for two different sign companies and at one I fabricated illuminated sign boxes so am familiar with the myriad of different coloured fluorescents.
I actually have two colour correction filters for them, an FL-D and an FL-B, but haven't used either in ages.
Robert