White Balance (WB) is a function that allows you to set the camera to record colours accurately under different lighting conditions.
Illustration by Jonathan Bean www.re-nest.com
The digital camera is set to record at the default colour temperature of daylight measured at approximately 5500 Kelvin. However colour temperature of light varies depending on the time of day/ year or whether you are shooting under artificial light. In certain situations such as taking photographs in the evening, a shaded scene, or a room illuminated by a household light can produce what is referred to as a colour cast. Occasionally this can enhance the image but in other instances offer something less than pleasing. To correct for this colour cast involves adjusting the White Balance (WB) setting.
(Canon 550D)
Found on the back of the Canon DSLR the WB function allows you to scroll through a number of icons that represent different light conditions.
By default your camera will be set to Auto White Balance (AWB) but occasionally you will need to apply more control to achieve more accurate results.
There will also be situations when you can use certain settings to your advantage. The Shade facility for example can be used to warm-up a photograph that may appear cold due to a light blue cast, as demonstrated below.
Further information can be found at:
Cambridge in Colour
dpreview
ephotozine
No comments:
Post a Comment