lf-photo.org.uk

Hello All,
I have a scientific/physiological question to exercise your sharp minds. Why is it that I perceive sunset colours to be orange, while I do not perceive the colour of cloudy weather to be blue? I hope I am not alone in this.
We are all familiar with the orange sunset part, so I will say no more. But on the other aspect, what troubles me, is that film such as the Velvias are very sensitive to this blue cast and brings it out very strongly. The question is also whether this film is creating the cast for an unexplained reason, or whether it truly is there. And if it is there, why don't I see it so immediately as the orange of sunset? Is it because the latter is directional whereas the blue cast is diffuse (the colour being all around us, our senses naturally balance the colour to "daylight" and we fail to notice the cast)?
The importance of the question is more than mere curiosity. If it is a real phenomenon, I feel it is right to show this cast as part of the landscape, whereas if it is artificial, then it really must be eliminated.
Thanks for casting some light on this,
Charles

Charles,

This page should give you some food for thought... There's another link that lets you play with a torch, fishtank and milk to prove the change from blue to red across the sky but I didn't bother with that one for you!

Did you once mention that we (humans) were more receptive to redder light as it might have been associated with fire and the reflections on the walls of caves (fire = warmth = good) whereas blue = cool = not good?

Also, AFAIR from perception of colour, blues and green tend to "diminish" in a picture whereas red and yellows tend to "come forward" - probably there's a scientific reason for this but there's the old photographic cliche of the red unbrella / anorak in a landscape for impact.

Andrew

PS there's also the spectral response curves of the film to check and you could try various films to prove it's not just one film (but what do you class as a "control" shot unless you've a colour temp meter?)