For this week’s task, we started to look at White Balance on a camera, where to find the different White Balance settings and what the effects of White Balance are on an image. White Balance is used to balance out the colour in an image. For example, if the colours in the image are extremely warm, white balance can be used to bring the image back to a neutral feel. There are seven common white balance settings. These include, Auto White Balance, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent Light, and Flash. Each White Balance mode has a different setting due to the number of Kelvins being used. For example, for Daylight mode, the setting uses 5500K-6500K. On the other hand, the White Fluorescent Light uses 6500K-8000K. Furthermore, Colour Temperature is also used when balancing out the colours in an image. Colour Temperature is measured in Kelvins. For example, a low colour temperature would be 2500K, whereas a high colour temperature would be 10000K. In order to have a balanced image, the most balanced colour temperature would be around 5000K.
Auto White Balance
The three images above were all taken using the Auto White Balance setting on the camera, however, they were all taken in different environments with different lighting. The first image was taken in an exterior setting with exterior lighting. The second image was taken in an interior setting with exterior lighting. The third image was taken in an interior setting with interior lighting. As it is clear to see, even though all the images were taken with the same setting, they all vary depending on the light used in the image. Personally, I think that this mode gives the best balance for the second image. I think that this image appears to have a clear balance between colour temperatures. The first image is slightly too bright, and the third image is slightly dark in colour. I do believe that these shots demonstrate my knowledge about White Balance, even though some locations work better with the Auto setting than others.
Daylight
The three images taken above were all taken using the Daylight White Balance setting on the camera, however they were all taken in different environments with different lighting. The first image was taken in an exterior setting with exterior lighting. The second image was taken in an interior setting with exterior lighting. The third image was taken in an interior setting with interior lighting. As it is clear to see, even though all the images were taken with the same setting, they all vary depending on the light used in the image. I think that the best image that I took using the Daylight setting was the first photograph. I think it helps to clearly match the outdoor environment, where daylight is the natural source of light in the image. It does not work as well with the other images as they were taken inside, and even though the second image was taken inside with outdoor lighting, the main subject is still not directing exposed to daylight. When using the Daylight White Balance mode in the future, I will make sure to use it when photographing in an outdoor environment.
Shade
The three images taken above were all taken using the Shade White Balance setting on the camera, however they were all taken in different environments with different lighting. The first image was taken in an exterior setting with exterior lighting. The second image was taken in an interior setting with exterior lighting. The third image was taken in an interior setting with interior lighting. As it is clear to see, even though all the images were taken with the same setting, they all vary depending on the light used in the image. I think that the best image that I took with the Shade setting was once again the first image. I think this because the first photo was taken outside, and therefore is exposed to natural, brighter light, than artificial light used in the inside photos. The Shade mode obviously makes all the photos appear darker, and so that it is natural for the first image to be the most balanced out of the three because it is exposed to the most light. When using the Shade mode in the future, I will use it in an outdoor setting so that it only darkens the image by a small amount, not leaving it to appear underexposed.
Cloudy
The three images taken above were all taken using the Cloudy White Balance setting on the camera, however they were all taken in different environments with different lighting. The first image was taken in an exterior setting with exterior lighting. The second image was taken in an interior setting with exterior lighting. The third image was taken in an interior setting with interior lighting. As it is clear to see, even though all the images were taken with the same setting, they all vary depending on the light used in the image. When using the cloudy white balance setting, the aim is to make the image appear slightly darker, therefore I feel that the best image taken using this mode is the second image. Even though the image does seem slightly underexposed, this setting helps to create an eerie effect, strongly separating the dark and light elements of the photograph. I don’t think that the cloudy setting has a big effect on the first and third image as the outdoor light in the first image may have provided a naturally cloudy feel when the image was taken. When using the Cloudy mode in the future, I will use it when wanting to enhance the darker elements of my image.
Tungsten
The three images taken above were all taken using the Tungsten White Balance setting on the camera, however they were all taken in different environments with different lighting. The first image was taken in an exterior setting with exterior lighting. The second image was taken in an interior setting with exterior lighting. The third image was taken in an interior setting with interior lighting. As it is clear to see, even though all the images were taken with the same setting, they all vary depending on the light used in the image. The Tungsten mode makes the images appear with a blue tint, leaving most of the photographs with an unnatural look. However, if I was to choose, I think that the most successful image using this method would be third image, due to the natural blue colour on the stapler. This mode would be useful to use when wanting an image to appear colder, such as, in snowy weather. When using the Tungsten mode, it is clear that the colour temperatures are not balanced and that the temperature is low.
White Fluorescent Light
The three images taken above were all taken using the White Fluorescent Light setting on the camera, however they were all taken in different environments with different lighting. The first image was taken in an exterior setting with exterior lighting. The second image was taken in an interior setting with exterior lighting. The third image was taken in an interior setting with interior lighting. As it is clear to see, even though all the images were taken with the same setting, they all vary depending on the light used in the image. Similar to the Tungsten mode, the White Fluorescent Light setting creates a dark blue/ purple tint on the images. I think that the best image taken using this mode is the first image. Even though the colour temperature is not balanced, and the image may appear cold, it still has a natural feel and creates a dusk atmosphere. In terms of colour balance, this setting works best on the third image. This is because of the natural blue on the stapler is enhanced and does not appear drastically unbalanced in temperature. When using this setting in the future, I would use it when photographing outdoor or indoor night-time photos.
Flash
The three images taken above were all taken using the Flash setting on the camera, however they were all taken in different environments with different lighting. The first image was taken in an exterior setting with exterior lighting. The second image was taken in an interior setting with exterior lighting. The third image was taken in an interior setting with interior lighting. As it is clear to see, even though all the images were taken with the same setting, they all vary depending on the light used in the image. When using the Flash mode, most images appear bright, and slightly warmer than neutral. I think that this mode has worked the best in the first and second photographs as it matches well to the natural environments – the warm light could represent the sun which is the exterior lighting being used in both images. Whilst the Flash setting does work on the third image, it still appears slightly underexposed and therefore may not present the modes use to its full potential. When using the Flash setting in the future, I will use it when wanting to make my photographs appear warmer.
By completing the tasks this week, I feel that I can now explain what White Balance and Colour Temperatures are, why they are used, and the effects that they can have when capturing an image. I am also able to identify the settings on a camera and now decide which settings to use for which location. This week’s practical task allowed me to demonstrate these settings in different locations. From this exercise, and after reviewing my photographs, I am now aware that only certain modes are useful in specific locations. When capturing photographs in the future, I feel I need to remind myself of the exposure settings to ensure that as well as demonstrating the White Balance settings, the images are also well exposed. In the future, I will need this knowledge when wanting to create a balanced feel to my images.
Comments