SFredrickPhoto.com Blog

In the first part of this series on White Balance we learned that the look, feel, and/or mood on an image can be changed by using different WB settings. Here are three different versions of the same image:
                  

The original is a raw file shot with the camera’s WB set to Auto. The center version was converted from the raw file using a setting of “As Shot”. And this pretty much matches the gray color of the overcast day when this image was made. The other two are from the same raw file but the one on the left had a much cooler WB set and the one on the right had a much warmer WB set during conversion. These images all have a different mood to them. So you may ask, which one is correct?

When it comes to selecting a WB there are two very different strategies or approaches that can be followed:

1. Accurate: select a WB so the image is close to how you remember the scene being when you shot the image.
2. Creative: select a WB so the resulting image conveys the feeling you desire the viewer to experience.

Which approach you adopt is often driven by the intended use of the image. If it is for editorial or scientific purposes then there is a strong need for the colors in the image to closely match the colors in the original scene. And product photography almost always requires accurate reproduction of color. However, if your use is as a fine art print then a more artistic approach is appropriate.

In either case the photographer needs to disclose how the image was created. That is, they need to answer truthfully when asked it this is how the scene looked when they were there and made the image.

In Part 3 of this series we’ll look some practical examples of what WB setting to use when capturing the picture.

The shooting metadata for this image is as follows:

Fuji S2 w/80-200 @ 100mm
1/15sec @f/4 ISO 100
Matrix, Aperture Priority, Comp -1/2