Why white balance

Digital photography works best when the details are done just right and your color will look better when you have your white balance just right too.

White balance is basically a set of filters applied to your image so that anything that is white in your image will show up that way when you at it on the screen or print it. There are some standard settings most digital cameras have that allow you to choose that will help greatly when you are shooting in this type of lighting.

The sun symbol: This pretty much tells it like it is, if you are shooting in the bright sun this will give you the best color rendition for this type of shot.

The clouds over the sun: This symbol that many companies use is great for cloud or overcast days, it can also be used when buildings are creating shadows that your subject is in while being photographed.

Building with shadow: Some cameras have this along with the clouds over the sun symbol allowing you to choose which one is better for you.

Lightning bolt: This symbol is used when using flash photography.

The light bulb: If Incandescent light bulbs are being used in your photograph or to light it than this brings that orange looking image back to a more natural looking “White”.

Some cameras have up to different bar looking icons or symbols which reflect three different temperature florescent bulbs and the colors they represent.

Custom White Balance: This allows you to photograph something you know to be white and to tell the camera no matter what lighting situation you are in that this thing you are photographing to test with is white and adjust yourself accordingly. While this may be the best to make sure your colors are correct it does take a little more time to do correctly. The thing about white object is that they are not all the same white, so if your white you are custom white balancing is cooler or bluer than a pure white your images will have an opposite color cast or warmer slightly orange cast, while a white that is a little warmer when you white balance using it will have your images with a slightly cooler or blueish cast to them. This still will bring your color in more in line with being the best it can than anything else and with a little practice it becomes second nature and you are on your way to better pictures with more accurate color right out of the camera.

There are many different devices out there today that allow you to custom white balance using them. Photo cards with whites, grays and blacks on them to special filters that allow you to custom white balance the whole scene right from your camera. Picture framing mat boards can be used and when choosing one think about the color cast it can produce from being the opposite color (slightly bluer gives a warmer cast to your images, etc.) If you choose something to do a custom white balance with try to use it all the time so that when you are working on images later they will all have a similar color change to them if needed at all.

No the real question “why do I care” Because if you white balance in the camera or with and appropriate setting than your image will need less work to make it the best it can be for printing or showing to others. The less work you have to do to an image in regards to color correction and exposure the less detrimental work is then done to your images. Many times you won’t see the harm lots of corrections has on an image until you enlarge it or zoom in and then it shows much more.

Life brings change

No matter what we plan and try to do the one thing life does is bring us change. We started out thinking we would be a photography school with lots of different speakers and recreating a school that resembled other schools and older ones gone by that we were familiar with. Now it seems that we are falling into place with our own design that suits us better and allows us to share our knowledge better to others. Economics played a big part in the change as it does many times. I find that as an artist I have many talents and an ability to share those with others for them to develop their skills, as a businessman I have many weaknesses that I have to adapt to and grow as we go through life. Our school is now going to provide workshops and classes by us without much outside instructors for a while. We will continue to provide high quality information in a variety of photography, Photoshop, picture framing and other areas. Our goals to have cabins on the property have still been delayed and we now are working on dorm rooms to be available to those who wish to stay here at the school while attending the workshops. The kitchen is being redesigned to allow for group cooking to enhance the teamwork between the students and allow a sense of fun and family with all the meals served for the students. These changes which may not seem like much bring a renewed energy for all of us and will hopefully enhance the experience of those attending one of the workshops.

It is time that this blog is born and it will include both education direction as well as general stories from the school and life here in the mountains, cause let me tell you…life is a bit different up here! Darcy my wife and I have four wonderful daughters for which without none of this would be possible and stories of them will help you to get to know us. Grammar and spelling experts will certainly cringe when reading these blogs and that’s ok, please feel free to correct me at your desire but I will be writing like I talk (you might even hear and accent or two once in a while). We don’t claim to be the latest greatest thing in photography we just know what works for us after years of beating our heads against the wall with learning photography and especially digital aspects of the place. We don’t always agree with the latest way of thinking and from watching the industry grow let me tell you there are many people who preach loudly their way of thinking that we don’t agree with. I don’t mind getting into pissing matches with people who haven’t found out that I am right yet…or the ones who haven’t shown me that there is another way that might be better, but usually we will show you fast, easy effective ways of doing something that looks great. I hope you will return to see how things grow with this new blog and that it helps you grow your photography knowledge and makes you smile a little too.