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The Starving Artist

~ Still an artist but no longer starving!

The Starving Artist

Tag Archives: studio photography

Get Creative with White Balance

23 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by Colin Crowdey in General, Lighting

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

camera, Color, Color balance, Color temperature, Kelvin, light, Raw image format, studio photography, White Balance

Afternoon.

Light is all around us, both natural and man made – but not all light is equal. Every light source has a different colour, or temperature to them and this is why visible light is measured in degrees using the Kelvin scale. Warm light has a high number and cool light has a lower number.

Our eyes adjust seamlessly to these different light temperatures, or colours, but cameras are not so clever and have to be told what the temperature of the light is to render the scene correctly.

But just because there is a button that allows you to set the White balance correctly, doesn’t mean you actually have to set it correctly.

Take a look at these two images for example. The White Balance was set in camera at the time of capture, to 3330k

Of course, you can change the White Balance settings in post processing, using Camera RAW or Aperture or your own favourite image processor. But doing it in camera at the point of capture, allows you to instantly see the results on screen, so that you can adjust the settings if needed or discard the shot entirely.

 

A colour temperature of 3330k renders the scene very blue and makes the skin tones much cooler, but in these particular images the effect works well. Not all scenes would suit this colour temperature – and purists would discard the images as they are not “correctly exposed” – but from a creative viewpoint you can experiment and create some striking images, just by taking your camera off “Auto White Balance”.

For the purpose of comparison, the image below was taken straight after the image above, but the White Balance is set to “Auto”

 

This is a more natural looking scene, skin tones are more natural and the light appears how we would expect it to appear – white.

I’ll let you decide which you prefer.

 

Best – Colin

 

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Cameras don’t take pictures, photographers do.

26 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by Colin Crowdey in Photography

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Ballerina, better photographer, camera, DSLR, light, models, Photographers, photography, studio photography, window light, x100

Afternoon.

Photographers are always chasing that one “special” image, be it the most dramatic landscape lit by the once in a lifetime sunset spectacular, the “killer” Motorsport shot where it all comes together with perfect composition, great motion blur or panning and the jauntiest of angles or that perfectly and meticulously planned and thought out studio shot – we are always after it.

Some of us are lucky to get that image, some of us are not – but nearly all of us are guilty of one thing, and that is buying the latest and greatest camera/lens/flash/or other bit of gear that, if you are to believe the manufacturers, “will make you a better photographer”.

It won’t.

That super fast 1.2 85mm prime you crave for, it won’t make you a better photographer, nor will that new super duper camera body with pixel count off the scale that you are keen to remortgage the house for. None of it will make you a better photographer.

To be a good photographer you have to “see” the picture, look at the way the light falls, look at the shadows, have an understanding of depth of field and to be able to visualise that in the scene you are looking at – photography comes from within.

If you can shoot well then you can take a compelling photo with an iPhone, a compelling photograph comes from inspiration, not from the latest equipment.

The photograph below was taken at my old studio, I was setting up my lights and getting everything ready and the model was just chillin’ in the window frame waiting for me. I turned around and immediately “saw” a picture, my studio lights were pointing the other way, my DSLR had the wrong lens on, so I quickly picked up my trusty X100, (a fixed lens rangefinder type camera) and asked the model to tie her laces on her ballet shoes – I took three images, no flash, just ambient light.

This image is my favourite – it was the models too and it just shows you don’t NEED lots of high end expensive equipment to take a half decent image!

Best – Colin

X100 shoots Ballerina Girl

 

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