Photographing Your Work - Lighting 1
LIGHTING - COLOR TEMPERATURE AND WHITE BALANCE
OK, we're going a bit deeper here but stick with me. I promise it won't hurt much and you'll be glad you followed along.
Let's say you've taken a shot and the image comes out a funny color. Perhaps it has a yellowish or bluish tint.
Now why did that happen?
All forms of light have a specific "color temperature". The human eye, however, only detects a very narrow range of these color variations. Even within that range we seldom pay attention to the slight color differences we are able to see.
Have you ever noticed the warm, yellowish tint given off by the light of a sunrise or sunset? These times of the day are referred to as the "Golden Hours" and are highly prized by landscape photographers. Submit a landscape photo to National Geographic and it would be rejected without a glance if not shot during one of these periods. On the other hand, high noon on a bright cloudless day has a completely different color. It's whiter with a slightly bluish tint, or what photographers refer to as "cooler".
So, what does this have to do with our kitchen counter shot?
Even though our eye doesn't easily detect these color variatons the camera's film or sensor is much more sensitive to them.
Color temperature is very important in understanding how to balance your camera's settings with the type of lighting used in your shooting environment in order to achieve an accurate color representation of your subject.
Your camera uses a function known as "White Balance" (WB) for dealing with the color temperature of light in your shooting environment. If the white balance closely matches the color temperature of your lights you'll get a more color-accurate photo. If not it will look off-color. Simple as that.
Most cameras on the market today have several preset white balance settings available. Your ideal goal is to match (as closely as possible) your camera's white balance setting to the color temperature of your environment. A basic understanding of color temperature will help make this easier.
Compare these examples:
As you can see, there is a wide swing in the color temperature of various types of lighting. More than likely your camera has a setting for each of these ranges. Check your camera's manual to find out how to locate them and what settings are available to you.
Let's do a quick experiment. Shooting under daylight conditions let's take four shots using a different white balance setting in each to show the effect that incorrect white balance can have on your photos.
| Flash (5400K) | Daylight (5200K) | Fluorescent (4200K) | Incandescent (3000K) |
The white balance used in these shots has been simulated (via software) for demonstration purposes but you get the point. Matching our white balance to our lighting makes a huge difference. By using the correct setting (i.e. "Daylight" in this example) we can probably achieve a relatively color-accurate image, especially after a bit of software processing.
So, does this mean we should always use a specific type of lighting such as "daylight" bulbs?
Not at all. As long as you can match your white balance to your lights, what does it matter? Some photographers prefer halogen, others like tungsten, and still others use fluorescent. As long as your camera's WB is set correctly you should be able to produce a color-accurate image.
Experiment with your camera's white balance settings and learn to use them. Often you will find that "daylight" or "auto" settings work just fine for many situations. But when things look "funny" it never hurts to understand what's going on "under the hood".
Side Note: So, you may ask, why does the "daylight" photo above still look slightly tinted if my white balance was set to daylight? Because like green wood, lighting conditions are rarely perfect. The use of flash (as was used here), under-exposure (also used here for demo purposes), ambient (existing) lighting from windows or other rooms, etc. all combine to clutter our lighting environment. Many folks prefer to shoot in a dark room with only one specific type of light. This allows them better control over their lighting environment thus making white balance easier to achieve.
One other tip for those who want to be VERY accurate with their white balance:
Many cameras come with a "custom" setting which allows you to "preset" your white balance to your specific lighting conditions. This is normally done by taking a shot of a piece of white paper (or in the case of some cameras, a "gray card") with the camera in "WB Preset" mode. The camera then uses this value to determine the exact white balance setting to be used. This setting remains good for as long as your lighting conditions stay constant. Check your camera's manual to see if such a function is available to you. Gray cards, if needed, are available on-line or in most retail camera stores.
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