Digital Photography Tips: 3 Tips for White Balance on Your SLR
Digital
In the past, the only way for a photographer to compensate for odd lighting conditions, or strange colors in a photo, was by using corrective filters. Today with digital cameras being the norm that idea no longer holds true.
With a digital camera, the white balance setting can work in the same way that corrective filters used to for 35mm SLR cameras. There are still times when filters work well, but for that time you don’t have a filter on hand setting white balance for the image can work just as well.
In this article we will cover what white balance is and how to use it. When you finish this article you will have a better understanding of how this camera function can work for you.
Digital Photography Tip – Understanding White Balance
Before we talk about using white balance, let’s first cover what it is.
White balance has to do with color temperature. Light has what we called color temperature (visible by that bluish or orangish hue in your photographs). Digital cameras have the ability to compensate for color temperature, and that function is called white balance.
Automatic white balance attempts to compensate for variations in the color temperature under any given lighting condition by calculating the average color temperature across the whole scene. It looks at the objects that are white in the image, and then shifts the color range for the whole image.
As a photographer you can use white balance to your advantage to compensate for different lighting conditions, or simply to add a hue to your photograph.
Digital Photography Tips – Setting the White Balance
Most digital SLRs provide two different ways for you to adjust the white balance of an image. In automatic mode, the camera adjusts itself as stated earlier.
When you want to change the balance you can use the presets that are included with your camera (such as Tungsten, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Sunny). These presets provide a simple way to adjust the color of your image for given situations.
You can also set the WB of a photo manually. With most SLR’s you simply select a color temperature. Some cameras will also set the correct balance for you if you point the camera at a neutral object while setting the white balance.
Since each camera is different, you may want to read the documentation for your camera model to get a better understanding of how to set WB.
Digital Photography Tips – Using White Balance
With a better understanding of white balance, here are a few things you can do with it. You’ll want to experiment to see how each setting affects your photographs, but here are a couple ideas to get you started with just the presets on your camera.
1. To Compensate – The most common use of the white balance is simply to compensate. Select fluorescent for fluorescent lights or sunny on a bright day.
2. A Sunrise Photo at Midday – Try using the fluorescent settings on a regular midday shot. The whole image will shift to reddish hues, giving the impression that the image was taken at dawn.
3. Evening Photos Anytime – Try a tungsten setting during the day. This setting will shift the image to blues, which can have the effect of creating a photo that looks as though it was taken in the evening.
Try experimenting with WB to get a better feel for how it can change a photo. Use one subject and photograph with different settings. This is the easiest way to really learn WB for digital photography.
