White Balance in Photography: the power to tailor-make the feeling of any shot

White Balance in Photography: the power to tailor-make the feeling of any shot

Notice the effect of white balancing the shot.
To the left is a cooler version, with a bluish tinge.
The shot to the right is a warmer version, with a
yellowish orange tinge. 

Photography is an art, and it's also a science. It's essentially the cross between the best features of art and science, in a way. What makes this particular hobby (well, it's a hobby for me) so grand and majestic is the sheer resplendence of the vast multitude of its products, i.e shots, that you can create. There aren't hand-and-fast rules, but you can always follow some guidelines if you wish. What these guidelines do is, they simply breathe in new life to your photos. And one such powerful element of photography is white balance.

Most novice photographers remain quite happy with the Auto Mode on their devices. I must admit, I was one among the general masses as well, but that's a long time ago. Nowadays, I can't live without taking control of at least 80% of the entire process. More automation = less control, it's something I got to learn from my experience as a Java programmer. That's why I prefer C++ to Java.

Well, getting back to the topic at hand, you may ask "What is white balance?". Well, defining white balance in a single sentence is difficult, and quite impractical. Instead, let me begin with the concept of colour temperature.

Colour Temperature 

When you capture a shot in your camera, the camera essentially sees the scene, and then makes a 2D copy of that scene. In this process, much of the original detail is captured, but afterall the camera has an IQ of 0. So you can't blame it if it loses some of the crucial elements such as colour composition. What I often get to hear from photography enthusiasts (halfway between amateurs and professionals, in my experience) is that, their shots often lose colour. The concept of colour temperature, as well as the related theory of white balance, is actually meant to help settle this issue.

Colour temperature is, to simplify the matter, how warm or cool the colours are. Cool colours are bluish, while warm colours are more golden, orange or yellowish. Simply, cool colours are those which convey to you a feeling of coldness. These colours are somewhat icy and more static. On the other hand, warm colours are those which resemble the golden-orange glow or tint of a flame. These are more dynamic, and convey a sensation of warmth to the eyes.

A cool shot, which creates the effect of relaxation
in the mind of the viewer

Different types of lights directly affect the different types of colour temperatures you're going to get. For example, an incandescent source of light, such as a general tungsten bulb, casts a yellow tint on the scene, thus making the scene warmer. On the other hand, a fluorescent source of light, such as a tube light, produces a somewhat cooler bluish light, making the scene cooler.

• Among the natural sources of light, the light coming from the sun during the golden hour is an example of warm light. 
• The bluish light that emanates from the poleward blue sky, or during the early blue hour, is an example of cool light. 

So, naturally you've got the idea by now. Any warm light is more reddish, while cool lights are more bluish. The simple VIBGYOR mechanism here helps. The more you more to the left, through Green and Blue to Indigo, the cooler the light gets. Thus, your shots will have a very bluish tinge if you shoot under these lights. Likewise, yellow, orange and red are examples of warm colours. This is not a flawlessly perfect analogy, but it's the very basic thing. 

NOTE: Since perfectly violent and purely red lights aren't generally used in photography, these are generally not included in the definition of colour temperature. 

Introduction to White Balance 

A shot of the temple with a cool colour tone

Our eyes are spectacular organs, and they automatically adjust to different conditions of lighting. Thus, unless the light-source is very warm or cold, you're not going to see much difference in your visual perception of a scene. On the other hand, your camera is nowhere close to the human eye. Usually it averages out a solution, there are times when it will fail to capture the true colours in a scene. This is why it is important to learn about white balance. 

But wait! There's another dimension to it as well. Once you get to master the concept of WB, you can essentially tailor-make a shot, by changing the colour composition of the photo. As I've already said, photography is the art of capturing the world around us, and then present it to the viewer. The viewer's perception of your photo is of crucial importance. And you can take control of it by changing the colour composition. 

The same temple here, with a warmer colour tone

Consider an example. Say you're shooting a landscape, which has cold rivers, snow and mountains as its elements. Naturally, you'd want to convey a sense of coldness to the viewer. You can do this by making the colour composition cooler, and thus more bluish. Likewise, when you're shooting a cozy afternoon party, you'd want to capture the dynamic and warm air of celebration. So, a warmer colour composition is a must here. If you reverse the settings, i.e capture the landscape in warmer colours and vice versa, the end-results won't be nearly as appealing to the viewer. 

This is why the art of WB is important. 

Different modes of white balance setting 

Usually, most dSLRs and high-end bridges have a variety of different WB modes. From full auto to tungsent, from fluorescent to cloudy, you have several options to select from. And it's important to learn about them first. It is better to select the M (Manual) mode in the command dial before plunging in to explore the art of WB, in my opinion, since it gives you absolute control over the shot. In most cameras, once you select the Manual or any of the semi-auto modes, you can enter the menu and select White Balance from the options. Below are some of the most commonly encountered modes: 

1. Auto / Auto (normal) / AWB (Automatic White Balance)

This is the most common mode for WB, and it sits right at the top of the list. What is does is simple, it leaves (read outsources) the entire task of selecting the proper white balance for your shot to the camera. Yeah, it's the same device with virtually 0 IQ. And naturally, when you select this option, there's not much you can do. The camera decides the best WB, and tries to average out the effect of various colours, giving you a bland and neutral shot. 

Most novice photographers do not bother changing the WB setting from Auto to any other mode. This is the most common reason behind the complaint - "My camera isn't capturing the colours well! I hate it!". As you might know, white is actually the combination of the seven colours of the rainbow. And the Auto mode tries to make the entire shot appear white, and thus neutral. 

When to use: Normally, when you're more concerned about capturing the detail, and don't mind getting some bland shots, this is the ideal setting. It leaves the tension to the camera, while you can go on tinkering with other options and settings such as aperture, shutter-speed and ISO. But if you're serious about your photography, this is NOT the way to go. 

2. Daylight

This mode is okay if you're shooting under direct sunlight. It's practically not much different from Auto setting, but it's meant for outdoor shots during the daytime. 

When to use: As the name implies, you may use if while shooting your photos under direct sunlight, during the daytime. However, if you're using indirect sunlight, such as the light reflected off a wall, it's better to use the Cloudy setting. 

3. Cloudy

The cloudy setting can also be used during the
golden hour, to create very warm shots

This is a versatile mode to use during the daytime. If you're shooting an image under indirect sunlight, especially indoors or under a shade, this is the mode to use. Also, as the name implies, on a cloudy day this is the mode to go. 

Most modern cameras have three to seven scales for these settings. For cloudy, on my Nikon P510, there's gradation from -3 through 0 to +3. If your camera happens to sport them too, make sure you use them. +3 essentially makes the shot more bluish, and thus cooler. On the other hand, -3 adds more warmth to the shot. This is visible right when you're previewing the shot. 

When to use: Under indirect sunlight or on a cloudy day. 

4. Incandescent / Tungsten 

This mode is generally meant for shooting indoor shots, usually under yellowish lighting such as the lightning from a tungsten bulb. This mode generally cools the shots down a bit, removing warmth and the orange/yellow tinge visible otherwise. This mode too is graded from -3 to +3. The more value you assign to this mode, the cooler your shot gets. Likewise, at -3, the shot gets warmer. 

When to use: Under indoor tungsten lighting, this is the mode to use. You may also want to experiment with it outside.

Incandescent lighting

5. Fluorescent 

Fluorescent is the mode to use if you're shooting under fluorescent or bluish LED lighting. It usually neutralizes the bluish tinge that accompanies the shots, and warms up the photo a bit. In most Nikon cameras, it is graded from 1 to 3. At 1, the warming-up level is low. The moment you switch to 3, the shot is visibly warmer, with a yellowing or orange glow allover. 

When to use: Under LED or tube lighting, indoors. It generally warms up your shots, so it's best to use it if you feel your shots are getting way too cool. 

6. Flash 

This mode, as the name implies, is okay if you're using your flash. It warms up the shot, since flash lighting is usually white. Since I use the flash very, very rarely, and don't quite recommend using it unless very important, you should better avoid this setting. 

When to use: When you're using your flash, usually for portraits or group-shots. 

In addition to the above general modes, there are certain other settings often found in different cameras. I didn't cover them elaborately because they vary from one model to the other, and may not even be present on some devices. Still, for the curious seeker, here are some of them: 

• Present White Balance: This is a rather complex mode, which helps you get your shots corrected under energy-saving lightings, or when you feel you're simply not getting the correct colour in any other way. The camera takes a shot of something with a neutral colour, and then subtracts it from the colour of the same image under other lighting conditions. 
• Auto (warm): This mode is used when you think the light is a bit warm or yellowish, but still would love to leave the decision-making part to your camera. It cools down the shot, and neutralizes the additional yellowish tinge. Good for outdoor shots during the Golden Hour. 
• Shade: It is similar to the Cloudy setting, but a bit more smartly picked for indirect sunlight during the daytime. It automatically adds some warmth to the shot. 
• Manual: The manual white balance setting is complicated, and it's not found on all cameras. It leaves the task of setting the WB manually to you. 

White Balance and mood of the photograph 

Artistic shots can be created with proper colour toning.
Here, for example, a feeling of nostalgia and old days
is created, without using sepia toning. 

What white balance does is simply set the mood of the photo. When, for example, you're shooting a very dynamic moment, you might want it to appear a bit more warm, yellowish. This may also apply to portraits. While shooting portaits of a woman, for example, you might want to add some more warmth to the shot. The result is good to look at, and adds a feeling of closeness to the shot. 

Likewise, while shooting an icecube, it's essential to keep the shot cool. You're, in a way, delivering the temperature to the eyes of the beholder. Thus, white balance keeps the mood of the photo intact. 

While looking at your shot, the viewer doesn't have additional information such as the timing of the shot (unless he/she checks the digital file), the location, what you felt at the time of capturing it, etc. Colour balance or white balance simply aims to bridge that gap, by providing him/her with something to convey the sensation, the gist, the feel of the shot. This is the magic of white balance in photography.