December 30, 2014

Saturated Images

I have an interest in understanding the math behind digital image manipulations, like lightening and darkening images, converting color images to grayscale, and sharpening images. Sometimes I wonder what an image would look like if you performed a set of math operations on its pixels. Sometimes I write a computer program so I can see the results of these operations. And, on occasion, I like the results.

This image is the result of retaining each pixel's hue, but maximizing its saturation. I call this a "Saturated Image".





December 27, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

December 24, 2014

Folly Beach, SC

December 21, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

December 18, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

December 15, 2014


The crab's house, Folly Beach, SC

December 12, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

December 9, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

December 6, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

December 3, 2014


From the Folly Beach pier. Folly Beach, SC

November 30, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

November 27, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

November 24, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

November 21, 2014


Folly Beach, SC. (Not Point Lobos, but you take what you can get.)

November 18, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

November 15, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

November 12, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

November 9, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

November 6, 2014


Folly Beach, SC

November 3, 2014


Beginning of the beach trip pictures: Folly Beach, SC

October 31, 2014


At the Renaissance Fair, Greenville, SC

October 28, 2014


At the Renaissance Fair, Greenville, SC

October 25, 2014


At the Renaissance Fair, Greenville, SC

October 22, 2014


Downtown Highlands, NC

October 19, 2014


The very last of the summer vegetables from the back yard. Greenville, SC

October 16, 2014


Camellia, in the back yard

October 13, 2014


In the neighborhood

October 9, 2014


The last of the peppers. They were delicious sliced and cooked with scrambled eggs.

October 6, 2014


Another pepper from the garden

October 3, 2014


Channeling Edward Weston, with peppers from the garden. Greenville, SC

September 30, 2014


In the backyard

September 27, 2014


The Metro, Washington, DC

September 24, 2014


In the Metro, Washington, DC

September 21, 2014


Downtown, Leesburg, VA

September 18, 2014

Flat Color Images

What happens when photographers are also computer programmers...

OK, so here's a color photograph (of veggies, just picked from our garden, in a nice plastic bowl, sitting on my work table, by the light from a nearby window). We see photos like this all the time. Nothing special here.



We are also used to seeing black and white (or grayscale) versions of the world. Here is the color photo from above as a grayscale image. The lightness/darkness information in the original photo has been kept, but the color information has been discarded. Your iPhone can do this, as can lots of other devices and software packages. (Although there are better and worse ways of converting from color to grayscale.)


Now ask yourself: What it would look like to keep the color information and discard the lightness/darkness information instead. Well, it looks like this. The hues of the colors have been kept, but their lightness/darkness has been adjusted to a single middle value. Notice, for example, that the grain of the wood has disappeared. That's because it's the same color as the rest of the wood, only darker.


Learning how the color math worked was the real fun here; along with writing a program to apply it to digital images. But I kind of like the results, too. I call this a "Flat Color Image".

September 17, 2014


Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

September 14, 2014


Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

September 11, 2014


Lake Conestee Nature Park

September 8, 2014


Lake Conestee Nature Park

September 5, 2014

Lake Conestee Nature Park

September 1, 2014

Lake Conestee Nature Park

August 29, 2014

Lake Conestee Nature Park, Conestee, SC

August 26, 2014

Union Terminal, Cincinnati

August 23, 2014

Downtown Greenville, SC

August 20, 2014

Downtown Greenville, SC

August 16, 2014

Downtown Greenville, SC

August 13, 2014

Downtown Greenville, SC

August 10, 2014

Downtown Greenville, SC