Have you ever taken a photo inside and wondered why everyone is orange? Or perhaps you took a photo in the shade and your child was a strange shade of blue? Today we are going to talk about how to set your White Balance.
White Balance
White balance is how your camera interprets the color of light in a scene. Each light source has it’s own individual color. When we take a photo, our cameras usually try to neutralize these different colors to give you the most natural looking photo it can. Like this:
There are several ways to correct your white balance and today, I’m going to show you a few options that should help you get the best white balance for your photos!
The following photos are are straight out of my camera, no editing except for sharpening for web and taken with A Canon 6D and a 50 1.8 Lens.
Presets
Presets are a quick easy way to help you get white balance correct straight out of your cameras. The trick is to KNOW what kind of lighting you are in and choose the correct preset. You need to know when you need to cool down warm light and warm up cool light.
Custom White Balance
Custom white balance is another great way to get your white balance correct straight out of camera. However, it does take planning.
Note: For this picture I used a expodisc.
You will need a neutral item such as a gray card or an expodisc. This option for setting white balance is best if you have really really bad lighting. Different cameras have different methods for setting your custom white balance, but for the most part, it involves taking a photo with the neutral (the gray card or expodisc) and then telling your camera “this is what I need the color in my photo to look like, fix it!”
But REMEMBER: If your light changes, you have to go back and reset your custom white balance again.
Kelvin
Adjusting the Kelvin Temperature is a very specific way to correct your white balance. Kelvin is a scale for measuring color temperature. Cool colors like Blue usually have a color temperature over 7000K, while warmer colors like orange and red are around 2000K. Not all cameras allow you to set Kelvin White Balance, but if you have a high end DLSR, you should be able to. It takes a lot of practice to be able to read the light and then know the best temperature to dial in. There are various kelvin charts floating around the web, and a lot of photographers just memorize the chart.
An easy way to learn kelvin is to set your camera to live view and adjust the kelvin white balance in real time until you find the perfect color. The key is to remember that your goal is to neutralize the temperature of the light of your scene. So, if you are in the shade, you want to set your Kelvin Temperature HIGH like 7000K to get rid of bluish tones and light. And if you are somewhere where your light is really yellow, like your kid’s gymnasium, you will want to set your Kelvin White Balance to a low temperature.
Just remember, the key to white balance is to remember that you are trying to neutralize the light.
Now go out and practice!
What is your favorite way to set white balance?
Grow Your Instagram Today
If you are looking to grow your Instagram with a strong following (note: this is an affiliate link, and we receive a commission at no extra cost to you), we love the step-by-step Instagram advice in LaShawn’s Instagram Better course. She teaches you how to build an authentic community with a focus on engagement that will keep your profile strong as you grow.
More Photography Tips
Check out all of our photography tips here and visit our photography Pinterest board.
- 7 Tips To Photograph Christmas Morning - Dec 11, 2017
- How To Set Your White Balance - Sep 25, 2017
- How To Take Your Snapchat To The Next Level - Aug 31, 2016
- 7 Tips For Awesome Product Photography For Your Blog - Aug 8, 2016
- How To Achieve A Beautiful Bokeh Effect On Your Pictures - Jul 27, 2016
- 30 Days Of Photography Prompts For April - Mar 31, 2016
- How To Take The Perfect Flat Lay Image - Feb 17, 2016
- Daily Photography Tips For Capturing All The Moments In Your Life - Jan 27, 2016
- How To Use VSCO Cam To Edit Your Photos For Instagram - Oct 7, 2015
- Be Creative With Low Light Photography | SITS Summer Photography Challenge Day 8 - Jul 22, 2015
Kelvin, my favorite. Thanks for this dissection.
Masood Malik
I shoot in live mode (which I LOVE) and I adjust the Kelvin for white balance. That said, I still struggle.
Is there a “crayons and paper” Kelvin chart you recommend?
What is an expodisc?
great tips, I really want to learn Kelvin. In the meantime, let me go find my Expodisc…
Great set of tips thanks LaShawn. I’ll give some of these a try next time I’ve got a blog photo shoot on the go!
These are all fantastic tips. I think I’ll spend the day improving my photography skills.
I just picked up some paint color cards yesterday after discussing white balance with a few of my blogger boos (hey girl) months ago. I will definitely be practicing.