About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Thursday, March 01, 2012

H is for HUE and the HOT SHOE

My title this week sounds a bit like a crazy Welshman with fantasies of doing naughty things with a stiletto. I know, you thought maybe I'd transgressed a bit and there'd be a little titillation, but no. I intend to discuss "Hue" and the "Hot Shoe" and how they fit into my theme of photography. Sorry if I disappoint.

Hue refers to the properties of colour and although there are many mathematical considerations in its computation, I will avoid that part like the plague. You can change the hue in a photo by using any photo software like Photoshop Elements. By playing around with the hue or saturation tool, you can end up with a photo that looks completely unreal. This is fine if you're trying for a surrealistic look, but be careful not to overdo. The purpose of this tool is to alter the vibrancy of colours by either enhancing dull or bright colours. Here are a couple of examples using the same scene taken in a Sicilian olive grove.

First, we have the photo in what I call a "natural" hue.

Second, the photo has been changed to add a yellow hue.

Third, the photo has added a pink hue.

Fourth, the photo has a purple hue.

Finally, the photo has a normal hue with a 50% saturation level.

So you can see that playing with the Hue (and saturation levels) can create a totally different look, depending on what you want to demonstrate. The following shows an example of what I did to the photo of a bow thruster (on a boat) by distorting it with a "wave" element and then saturating it to the maximum level. A boring steel-coloured circle turns into "op art." What do you "see" in the abstract?


Does anyone know what a Hot Shoe is in relation to photography? Contrary to its image as something sexy, it is the spot on the top of a camera where you can mount a flash unit. It is shaped like an inverted, squared-off U of metal. The matching adapter on the bottom of the flash unit slides in from the back of the camera and is sometimes secured by a clamping screw on the flash. In the center of the "U" is a metal contact point. This is used for standard, brand-independent flash synchronization. Normally the metal of the shoe and the metal of the contact are electrically isolated from each other. To fire the flash, these two pieces are shorted together. The flash unit sets up a circuit between shoe and contact—when it is completed by the camera, the flash fires. (from Wikipedia) See below.

So I guess there is an element of mating with the hot shoe, but not a very exciting one.

Hallelujah to Mrs. Nesbitt, who in my mind should wear a halo for all her heroic efforts keeping ABC Wednesday going for 10 rounds! She has hands-down won my admiration for such a creative, intelligent and heartfelt meme. Her happy, hectic and hilarious (yet humble) handful of helpers will visit each contributor to hand out kudos for their posts. No one is hostile, hypocritical, or hateful here. We're all here for fun and to meet people from all over the world. So join in and have some happy times!

18 comments:

Powell River Books said...

My point and shoot doesn't have a hot shoe for sure. But my old 35mm did. I used to love that old camera and developing black and white film at the high school lab as a part of adult education classes. - Margy

Carver said...

Great exploration into hue in photography. Carver, ABC Wednesday Team

Meryl said...

You have now FAR exceeded my photography skills but this is soooo interesting. Thanks, I can't wait until next week.

Lisa said...

Those fuchsia-colored stilettos are definitely hot shoes! Great explanation and examples of Hue. I love playing with the setting is PhotoShop.

Reader Wil said...

You are very clever. Of all the photos I prefer the natural hue! The other colours I find pretty unnatural! Thanks for showing the possibilities.Have a great week.
Wil, ABC Wednesday Team.

Jane and Chris said...

The abstract looks like planet in orbit!
Jane x

Hildred said...

I look forward to your posts, Leslie, - I am so illiterate when it comes to cameras and need to learn so much more about my Canon Rebel. Thank you for all the information you share, - do you still wear shoes like that?????

Roger Owen Green said...

Thank goodness it wasn't something...sordid...
ROG, ABC Wednesday team

photowannabe said...

Here's to another great post.
Sometimes its fun to play around with hue and other techniques. Your demonstration is perfect for the letter H.

Anonymous said...

nice lesson. i love the abastract one the best

henderson hill

Chubskulit Rose said...

I never fool with those stuff, I have no patience lol. But it does makes a big difference, in every photo.


Rose, ABC Wednesday Team

Joy said...

I remember having a camera with a hot shoe as a teenager, complete with flash that folded into a little case. I felt very high tech, LOL, how little did I know.

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

I love the weekly photo lessons! Nothing but smart as my 2D teacher used to say.
And, I echo the hallelujah towards Denise who keeps this meme flowing efficiently. Very, very grateful to all who make it happen.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

That hot shoes are yours?

I wanted a pair of "medium" hot shoes, for evening wear, and bought a pair of pointy shoes. I have a size 8 foot, and the pointyness make my foot even bigger. It's black , 1 and 1/2 inch heels, and a tiny bling.

Lady In Read said...

that is one hot pink color on the shoes.. love the hues and love the Hallelujah ! hip hip hurray to ABC Wednesday..

Mildred said...

Very interesting post about hue! Love playing with it too!
My new camera doesn't have a hot shoe but maybe the next will;o)
Thanks for sharing;o)

***
Hope you are having a nice week****

Trekcapri said...

Hi Leslie, this is a great post. I really learned a lot from your examples of the different applied Hue. I like the natural Hue the best. And I think the abstract photo looks pretty cool.

Thanks so much for this informative post. Have a wonderful evening.

Anne said...

Fantastic post!!! In the abstract, lower left corner, the shape instantly reminded me of the little girl in the original Grinch cartoon...Cindy Loo Who, I think was her name. Very cool!