Week 5

Canon Prime Lens Comparison with 5D from GEBBS on Vimeo.

Colour Balance

"a photographer today can be confronted with a large array of light sources when on an assignment, daylight being the one we utlizise the most"

-Daylight can rarely be used on its own. You'll usually need at least fill flash.
-Higher number = cooler colour temperature (bluer)
-auto colour balance is bad becauce it chages constantly. If you shoot everything on one paticular setting (ie. tungsten) you can go back and edit them all in one go. If its auto, you have to change every single one, and even then you might not be able to save the image. CONSISTANCY IS THE ULTIMATE AIM!

-Lenses can effect coulor balance becauce they can be slightly different colours. UV filters can also effect coulor temperature as well as different cameras, the shirt your wearing, the room/wall colour, sensors and light comming through window glass.

-By using a tinted filter, you can create 'autum' images. (The above example actually demonstrates a photoshop tutorial, but it shows the same thing. The tutorial involves adding an orange-ish layer to the image then using blending modes to give the autum effect. You can do this by using an orange tinted filter in the first place)

Doing a colour balance 3 different ways

Method 1- using a white card

1. Hold the white card right under the 'key light' of the scene so it will reflect the lighting conditions of the scene accuratley.

2. Take your camerea right upto the card, be careful not to block the key light, and take a photo of the white card filling the frame of the camera.Take the photo at the exposure you plan on using.

3. Set the image of the white card as your custom white balance via menu > custom WB

4. Set 'custom' in the white balance settings

5. Shoot at the same exposure that you took for the image of the white card (although im not sure if this matters too much becauce the custom white balance will now compensate)

Note: you can also use a grey card. When reffering to a 'white' card, i mean the reverse side of a grey card, they are both accurate but I found the white card to be more presice. 

Method 2 - using a colour temperature meter

1. Using the colour temperature meter, take a reading of the key light

2. Look at the reading, it will tell you the colour temperature in K's (Kelvins)

3. Manually set your camera's custom white balance via the main menu  to the temperature incidated by the meter.

4. You can now take the photo with the white balance corectley set. 

Method 3 - Using the Expo Disk 

1. Put the expo disk over your lens like a filter, if it wont screw on, just hold it over. The pattened side has to face outwards.
2. Take the camera to the scene and take a photo facing back towards the place you intend to take the real photo from.
3. Set this white image as the custom white balance image via menu > custom WB

Examples taken in the convention center

White card

Colour meter

Expodisk