Back in about 1999 or 2000 when digital cameras were just getting a hold on photography for the nature photographer, I would read all of the information that I could because like most of you I knew this was the photography of the future. There were many things that were a mystery to me; jpeg files, raw files, compact flash cards, etc. But the most mysterious to me was that of “white balance.” My automotive electrical background helped me understand jpegs files, tiff files, compact flash etc. but shooting slides for well over 25 years I never had to understand the term white balance which is used specifically for photography whether it is for video or still photography. When shooting film the white balance is part of the film which is why there is indoor and outdoor film. Each film will have a different color temperature depending where it should be used. If you would use the indoor film outside or vice versa, your photos will definitely have a color cast to them. If I am shooting outdoors I would select film that has a white balance (color temperature) for outdoors. Occasionally certain situations would require the use of filters to remove a color cast because of the temperature of light.  As an example, if you were photographing a flower in deep shade, I would tell you to use an 81A or 81B warming filter to remove the blue cast that usually results from shooting in shade.

With digital photography the photographer is the maker and creator of the final image. The digital sensor collects only light that is hitting it and the photographer has to set the correct white balance so the color of the light is the correct temperature to convey the image they are seeking. The digital SLR camera gives the photographer choices on a white balance setting. Some examples: Auto, sunny, cloudy, shade, incandescent-fluorescent, flash etc. Each one of these settings will tell the algorithm within the processor of the camera the temperature of the light. Choosing the correct white balance will make an 18% gray card be the correct neutral tone. Selecting the wrong white balance will allow an 18% gray to have a color cast to it, such as yellow or blue. This is never to say that we may select a certain white balance to achieve the type of image that we want.

Listed below are some Kelvin (K) temperatures of various white balance settings.

Of course always remember that if you shoot “Raw images” white balance can be changed in post processing. But if shooting any other format it is important to get the white balance correct in camera. Some photographers will leave the white balance on “auto” because of its wide range of Kelvin temperatures. But I find that under certain situations the camera does not give me the correct color cast. Due to the fact that 99% of my photography is done outdoors, I usually always use either Daylight sunny or Daylight cloudy and on rare occasions daylight shade is used. In post processing my raw images I will sometimes adjust the color temperature a few degrees either way to get the effect that I want. Most camera manufacturers will also have a pre-set adjustment. Usually the photographer will fill the frame with an 18% gray card in the same light they are going to work in. On my Nikon I will hit the WB button and my camera will then use that as the white balance setting. (Be sure to consult your owner’s manual on how to use this feature on your camera) If I did a lot of shooting indoors this would be the way I would set my white balance.

The Pink Lady’s slippers that accompany this article were shot under cloudy conditions. The image marked “cloudy” is the correct color temperature of this image. If my white balance would have been set to “shade” the temperature is a little higher and makes the orchids have a slight yellow cast to them. Of course if we go way off base and set the white balance to “incandescent” the temperature is much lower and we then get a very garish blue cast to the image. Although the first two images, cloudy and shade are very close, those orchids should not have the yellow cast to them.

As a general rule, always remember the higher the temperature the “warmer” (yellow-red) the image will look. The lower the temperature the “cooler” (blue) the image will look.

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