This Week in Photo · Alex Lindsay, Frederick Van Johnson

457: Chasing Color

March 24, 2016·1 hr 8 min·5 clips

Aaron Nace admits Apple's True Tone display 'scared the bejesus out of me' for color accuracy.

This Week in Photo episode 457, "Chasing Color," is hosted by Frederick Van Johnson with guests Aaron Nace of Phlearn.com and Shiv Verma of Shiv Verma Photography. The episode examines recent tech announcements and their potential impact on photographers' workflows and marketing. The first major topic is Instagram's announced shift from a chronological feed to an algorithmically sorted "best posts first" feed. Aaron Nace shares that Phlearn recently migrated its weekly photo contests to Instagram, gaining over 10,000 new followers in five weeks by using specific hashtags and reposting winner images. The hosts express concern that the new algorithm could obscure timely contest posts and make the platform feel like a "creepy" popularity contest, similar to targeted web ads. Shiv Verma notes the platform is still superior for photographers despite being harder to monetize than Twitter. The conversation shifts to Apple's announcement of a new iPad Pro with a "True Tone" display that automatically adjusts screen color based on ambient room lighting. Aaron Nace compares it to the f.lux software, which warms a display's color temperature at night to reduce eye strain. Shiv Verma clarifies the feature likely only adjusts white balance or temperature for viewing comfort, not the underlying image data, but all agree it would be disastrous for color-critical editing work. Frederick Van Johnson questions the very foundation of color accuracy, noting individual biological differences in color perception make consistent color rendition elusive. Aaron Nace describes professional color correction as less an exact science and more a matter of preference and experience, citing past controversies over celebrity skin tones in magazines. Shiv Verma emphasizes color management is about ensuring consistency from capture to output, primarily print, though most viewing now happens on varied screens. The hosts speculate whether Apple's adaptive display technology makes achieving consistent color across devices an unsolvable problem. The tone is conversational and exploratory, blending industry news analysis with practical photographer concerns. This episode is ideal for photographers keen on social media strategy and the technical challenges of color management. Listeners uninterested in the nuances of platform algorithms or display technology might find the discussion too niche.

As heard by us

A practical conversation about adaptive displays, color accuracy, and why monitor comfort can complicate editing.

Chasing Color centers on the unease of accurate color: what happens when a display shifts with the room, and when the eye and the device stop agreeing.

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Why you'd press play

If you edit photos on a laptop, this color debate will hit close.

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