Digital Photographers ... Are You Aware of Your Camera's White Balance?
In digital cameras, the White Balance settings adjust for various lighting conditions using white as a basis for the accurate representation of all colors. The premise is, when a photograph is balanced so that white objects appear white in a given image, all other colors will also be "true."
In a perfect world ... that would be just great ... but ... light from different sources are different in color (hue). This is referred to in scientific terms as "color temperature."
Light is rarely pure white and various light sources will alter colors both in our vision and, in photos. Tungsten light (those old light bulbs) will give an orange cast to objects ... fluorescent ... yellow green ... sunlight, shade, objects in shadow, overcast skies ... each form of ambient light calls its own tune so-to-speak.
So, what to do if you find your subjects don't photograph as you see them?
In the days when everyone was shooting film, either filters placed on lenses or film emulsion chemistry would help; today, digital cameras and software like Photoshop do the fixes. But ... you have to make sure the camera's white balance setting is consistent with the light in which you're shooting.
Why not check your camera before reading further and find how to select its various white balance settings ... that way, you'll be able to implement this feature in the event you are interested in doing so.
Below is a series of photos Larry Crehore has taken to illustrate this article.
Thank you, Larry.
1) Larry Crehore shot this using the "DAYLIGHT" WHITE BALANCE SETTING
2) Fluorescent Setting
3) A second FLUORESCENT SETTING
4) A third FLUORESCENT setting
5) Incandescent setting
6) SHADE setting
The images were photographed in shade; it's important to remember that sometimes the different settings will be subtle, other times dramatic. To a given viewer, a particular shot may look "correct," while the maker of the shot will know, based on the live view, how close or how far off the shot is.
Experiment; sometimes using the "wrong" white balance setting will produce a nice "special effect." Other times, your all-too-blue skin will be less than pleasing to the eye.
I hope this is helpful.
Thanks to Larry Crehore for providing the examples.
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I'll be back with a series of photos Larry Crehore has taken to illustrate this article.
See you later today.
well put and is so essential in capturing various moods and to get the best possible exposure
Thanks Ray ... let me post the examples.
Which roses look "right?"
This is a wonderful article Art. And nice use of Larry's work.
I think I understand the difference, but I have to tell you, that I like both the shade and the daylight settings. Is there an actual wrong or right to this? Or is it just taste?
There is no "right" or "wrong" aesthetically; where the objective of the photographer is to reproduce the color as close to literal as possible, white balance is used for that purpose.
But there is no absolute in terms of objectives; that's up to the photographer or a publisher who has a particular desired outcome. Consider the use of white balance settings as an "option" rather than an inviolable must.
There are times when it's especially useful ... like when there's an inherent expectation as with skin tone. Otherwise ... experiment and you decide if your picture is "right" or "off."
Very informative as usual Mac . Thanks . I learned a lot .
Great article Mac, the explanation clears up a lot of questions for me thanks for posting this.
Larry,
You must have enjoyed seeing your photos reworked in so many different ways.
Mac, told me how to set it up and take that series, they haven't been retouched, that is how the photos looked raw. That was part of the point Mac was trying to make, most digital camera's have a way for the operator to adjust the white balance.
Terrific topic and one that is so essential in capturing the subject as real as possible. There are times that one may desire to change the hue and tint while shooting , most digitrals allow for one to do so, this can create a warmer ambiance or increase the blue in the sky.Important as staed to understand the source of light and it's imflunec on exposure in the picAt forst I was confused with the concept of tempeture, of course it was natural to think red as hot and blue as cool in , but not so in kelvin temperture. Great piece as usual and terrific examples