Composing in Color

by | May 16, 2017 | 2 comments

Ah, there’s so much to be said about color! Whether you’ve been following us for years or are just starting to get into what makes us tick over here at Karjaka Studios, you may have noticed a sudden influx of color. We’ve received quite a few questions relating to that progressive change/addition here in the studio and thought today’s post might shed some light on the subject.

To photograph in color is nothing new for us in the studio. Having started out on Kodak Portra, Ektachrome and Fuji Superia color films made such a mark on me as a young photographer that I’ve never been able to emulate in digital. There’s a lot of talk whether photographers can or can’t or should replicate film process through the digital medium. While we can talk at length about that, my short answer is enjoy what you can do with the equipment you do have.

About nine months ago we made the full transition to the Hasselblad H System courtesy of the brilliant crew over at Foto Care here in NYC. Shooting with the digital Hasselblad had always been a dream, and like any new piece of equipment there’s a transition period. Within the first few days we immediately noticed the high level of detail and dynamic range in color compared to full frame cameras, but it wasn’t till a few months in where we really got to explore what the camera could do.

Our first hint in the depth of detail was in the story of the award winning composer Aaron Helgeson. Composing takes many forms and as you’ll notice, not only did Aaron and I get to explore a improvisatory composition, but we also go to explore the detail in the denim. Matched with Aaron’s charming good looks, that stunning gold watch, and Aaron’s ability to go the next step and get creative on paper, it was our first foray into getting back into color. You’ll notice how the blue, yellow and skin tone pop almost to the extent that you can feel the texture with your eyes. The team and I knew this was something we wanted to expand on. 

If you haven’t already checked out our color page, karjaka.com/color it’s worth the gander and get a glimpse of what’s in store next. We’ve just begun to test out what the team can do with color here in the shop while raising the bar for black and white as well. Not worry, we haven’t forgotten about you our black and white enthusiasts. More on that soon…

In the meantime stay tuned for our next colorful story and more!

Happy Snapping!

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