Mastering Your DSLR Part 10 (b) - Take Control of White Balance

In the first unit (10 (a)) of 'Take Control of White Balance' in our series on 'Mastering Your DSLR' we overviewed white balance in general and considered its relationship with color perception and digital cameras. In this unit we explore white balance camera presets and custom white balance control. White Balance Presets To offset the fact that the camera sensor does not always get the color temperature reading correct and/or the in-camera processor (using algorithms) does not exactly hit the mark, most DSLR cameras provide a number of white balance presets that enable the photographer to select an appropriate preset for the relevant lighting conditions prior to taking a photograph. The preset types are usually, daylight, tungsten/incandescent, fluorescent, shade, cloudy/overcast, and flash. These white balance presets can actually be used for creative purposes as well, achieving some very different and interesting results. You can practice this by taking a number of shots of the same subject, but before taking each shot change the white balance preset to another one. It is worth spending some time experimenting with these creative possibilities. Custom White Balance To obtain more accurate results using white balance you can set up 'custom' white balance prior . . . (to read the remainder of this article, please log in below.)