Using White Balance in Creative Ways

All digital cameras come with the ability to change the White Balance setting, and it is something to be aware of. Sure, you can set the camera on Auto White Balance(AWB) and let the camera make the decision of what the scene requires to get good color.  And most cameras do a good job of this.

But just like taking the camera off of Program mode and shooting with manual settings, experimenting with the White Balance puts you in control of the image making.  If you want to get beyond simply capturing a literal rendition of a scene, this is certainly the direction you want to head in.

Here are just two examples.  In both, I just used Auto White Balance.  In the second, I chose the Tungsten setting ( the one that looks like a light bulb).  The reason why the image looks blue is because the color of light changes depending on the light source.  And though our eyes compensate for these things so that white looks white, you probably are most aware that tungsten light bulbs look yellow compared to daylight.  Setting the Auto White Balance to Tungsten means the camera is adding blue to compensate so the whites look white. But if you shoot outdoors in daylight, you've fooled the camera into adding blue to a scene that is already neutral in color.  Thus your picture has a blue tone overall.

To my mind, shooting these images with the Tungsten balance helps the image convey a sense of coldness, and that's why I made the adjustment.  This works in the opposite direction as well, so try shooting with a Daylight balance indoors and see what happens.

All digital cameras come with the ability to change the White Balance setting, and it is something to be aware of. Sure, you can set the camera on Auto White Balance(AWB) and let the camera make the decision of what the scene requires to get good color.  And most cameras do a good job of this.

But just like taking the camera off of Program mode and shooting with manual settings, experimenting with the White Balance puts you in control of the image making.  If you want to get beyond simply capturing a literal rendition of a scene, this is certainly the direction you want to head in.

Here are just two examples.  In both, I just used Auto White Balance.  In the second, I chose the Tungsten setting ( the one that looks like a light bulb).  The reason why the image looks blue is because the color of light changes depending on the light source.  And though our eyes compensate for these things so that white looks white, you probably are most aware that tungsten light bulbs look yellow compared to daylight.  Setting the Auto White Balance to Tungsten means the camera is adding blue to compensate so the whites look white. But if you shoot outdoors in daylight, you've fooled the camera into adding blue to a scene that is already neutral in color.  Thus your picture has a blue tone overall.

To my mind, shooting these images with the Tungsten balance helps the image convey a sense of coldness, and that's why I made the adjustment.  This works in the opposite direction as well, so try shooting with a Daylight balance indoors and see what happens.

Shoot in Raw format

More and more point and shoot cameras shoot in Raw format as opposed to just in jpg.  And that's a good thing.

 When you shoot in jpg, what you have in the file is all there is.  That's fine if all the values in the scene fall within the range that the sensor can capture.  But what if there is a larger range of values, like the above situation?  The result is that you simply lose either highlight or shadow values, possibly both.

 Enter raw format.  Much like a color negative rather than a color transparency in film days, the raw format has more information that can be recovered if needed.

 In the image shown here, the unadulterated image, similar to what we would have gotten with a jpg looks like this.  Notice the lack of detail in the shadow areas, like the curtain and the shirt.

 

Now look at the below image.  Using Adobe Camera Raw in Lightroom, I used the "Fill" slider to pull information out of the shadows.  Now you can see the folds in the curtain and the texture in the shirt.  Truly an amazing difference, and a strong reason to consider shooting raw format.

 

The place to set this is in your menu.  Generally, there is a camera icon, and within this menu is the option to choose jpg or raw.  Consult your user manual if you are not able to readily access this information.

Shooting Action Photographs

In these posts, I often write about being properly prepared before you start shooting pictures.  This is a good example of why that is the case.


If you are looking to capture a candid moment, it only comes once.  That means that you have to create the situation where your camera can capture what happens as events unfold.  You need to look at how fast of a shutter speed you need to freeze movement (or show it).  Shutter speeds of 500th of second or more will probably freeze all but the fastest action.  Slower shutter speeds like 1/30 would show blur.  


You want to think about the depth of field, and how much you want to keep in focus.  Shallow depth of field, maybe f4, means the area covered by the focusing point in the camera will be sharp, but objects closer or further away will go fuzzy.  Setting the camera to maintain a large amount of depth of field, like f16, will keep more things in focus front to back.  This can be an advantage when people are moving around a lot because there is more fudge factor for the camera focusing system.


And you want to think about angle of view and how that affects how you feel the action itself.  A wide angle lens will bring you into the action more, whereas a telephoto lens will flatten things out and make you feel more like an observer than a participant.


In this case, I shot with a 35mm lens, at 1/400 at f14.  I intentionally chose to shoot from close in, and below the boy so I could see the emotion in his face and feel more a part of the scene.  I chose to shoot at 1/400 because I knew that when the snowball was smashed, some movement would still show in a blur.  And I shot at f14 so that I could keep both people in focus, even if they moved around a little bit.


But remember, I decided all these things BEFORE we started shooting.  With the camera set up properly, I could simply focus on the activity, and make the composition work as best I could.  I highly recommend this approach to the creative process, and in shooting action, the benefits are clear.

Symmetrical Composition Tip

One of the big decisions we have to make is where to place subjects in the frame.  As I mentioned in the last article, using the rule of thirds can be very satisfying visually.


Yet sometimes it is fun to play with the idea of symmetry, and that's what I've done here.  I've intentionally placed a tree pretty close to the center of the image.  I say pretty close, because I sometimes like to create a sense of tension in the picture by not have things exactly at the mid point, as you can see by looking at the grid overlay.


The other key things I am playing with are balance and scale.  Notice that if the picture is essentially split in two, I'm loading the left side with other significant elements to create weight there. Those elements are the second tree, and the bench.  I'm using the open space of the lake and the trees beyond on the right side as a balance to those elements on the left of the midline.


Scale is also a factor, in that I am introducing a smaller, human-scaled object (the bench), then a tree seen in almost its entirety of height  before we come to the cropped (and most dominate) tree in the center.  Using these elements helps establish the size of the tree in the middle and gives the image a sense of depth.

Composition Tip

When I am looking for a way to compose an image, I consider a number of elements, and I'll use this image to go through my process.


I saw this lovely early winter morning scene, and realized there was a great opportunity to use the warmth of the lights inside the building to balance the coolness of the dawn light.


My first consideration was how to create a sense of depth to the image.  Traditional landscape photography uses the time honored approach of foreground, middle ground and background to create that depth.  So I positioned myself so there were some plants up close to the camera.  The middle ground includes the large tree on the right and the building.  And the background trees, because of the falling snow, recede in the image.  Look at the difference between the picture below, with no real foreground interest, and the image on top.

Next, I thought about the weighting of the image.  Where I placed the large tree on the right was important, as it anchors the photograph because of its mass.  I used the rule of thirds to place the bottom of the tree pretty close to the lowest intersection of the grid (See more information about the concept in the archives here).   That gives the viewer's eye space to move into the picture from the bottom between the plants and up into the midground.

Next, I wanted to add an element to show scale.  People walking to the bus, or walking their dogs were perfect for this.  They not only added the scale, but also helped tell the story of it being a cold snowy morning.


Finally, and for me, quite important is deciding on where I want the person to be.  If I placed the person in front of the building, they were bound to disappear in the confusion of details.  

Looking at the scene carefully, there was a large gap on the right side where, because of the chiaroscuro effect,   a person would certainly stand out.


And looking at the scene again with the rule of thirds in mind, putting the person in that gap balanced the weight of the tree on the right.

There's always a lot to think about when composing an image.  Take your time, and enjoy the process.  And wear good gloves.