Telling a Story through Colour

“The key to the creative process is understanding that there’s so much more to it than your camera’s spec sheet,” says photographer Malcolm Coombes. “But unfortunately,” he continues, “many photographers look to lists of technical features first. The thing is, they’re only a small part of what makes photography meaningful.”

“Sure, the camera you use plays a part in that, but not always in the way you think,” Malcolm continues. “The personality of an image doesn’t come from specifications, it’s made up of how you interpret and respond to a scene or subject; the composition you choose, the light you’re in or that you bring to the situation, the exact moment you decide to trip the shutter, as well as your colour treatment and other edits you make.”

“Conversely, if it’s a comforting, joyful scene, it’s normal to use warmer colours,” he continues. “It’s not about having a set palette, I just choose colours that are in concert with my mood.”

Malcolm is conscious of maintaining colour consistency between shots, something that also helps when editing or using in-camera effects like Sony’s Creative Looks.

“When the colour is off, people can tell. They react differently. So, I’m careful to look at what the available light is doing and adapt to it, using manual white balance settings that match the scene,” he says. “This keeps everything faithful and that’s the basis of any editing or effects you want to use. If colours are too mixed, presets can be ineffective. And if the light changes, you need to respond to that, too.”

While remaining faithful to a scene, you can also bias colour a little to achieve your aims, Malcolm says. “Whether it’s in editing or using Creative Looks, it’s possible to add and enhance colour, amplifying those emotions. As long as you’re true to what you were feeling, that’ll put you on the right track.”

“Right now, my favourite Creative Look is the Film (FL) mode, because along with the regular camera settings I use, it simply gives me a palette of colours I find engaging,” he says. “It makes the colours that I rely on a bit more vivid, but with some fade in the blacks, giving it a softer, more vintage feeling. It’s also a mode that works well in lower light, which suits my style as I’m often shooting in twilight or subdued lighting, as with these train station shots.”

“The Creative Looks are also customisable,” Malcolm explains, “and on my camera, I push the saturation and the contrast a bit, but bring the clarity down a little, too. Just to take away some of the sharpness that a modern sensor gives, because that’s sometimes too modern a feeling for me. But even straight out of the can, that mode is great. I’d say it has a cinematic vibe, less clinical and more romantic than a standard profile.”

“The vintage aesthetic of the Film mode is also a great fit with a camera like the Sony Alpha 7C II,” Malcolm says, “and together they produce something else that’s vital in creative photography – energy. I know I began by saying that a camera’s specs aren't the most important thing, and I stick by that, but certain models have a design that can make you behave differently, and I think the Alpha 7C II is one of them.”

“So while the Alpha 7C II has all these amazing specs in a small, discreet body and can hold its own with many of Sony’s top cameras, for me what’s more important is that I want to have it with me all the time,” he finishes. “Like with colour, that’s an emotional response. Yes, people obsess about features, but when you find something that inspires you, my advice is this – don’t let go!”