In the last lesson we learned about ISO, ƒ-stop and shutter speed. This lesson is about light and color. Light is everything. Light gives us shape, contrast, brightness and most of all, color. Your camera can control the color balance thru different settings. If you don't see WB on the top or back of the camera, consult your manual. WB stands for White Balance and you can choose from several icons. White balance is based on Kelvin Temperature. Now don't panic, this is easier than you think. Kelvin is based on color temperature and gives you correct colors for your light source. Auto sets the white balance for you if you don't want to deal with it. It will take the warm color out of a sunset and so it's easier to just choose the sun icon.

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The other icons depict a lightbulb, a fluorescent, daylight sun, flash, cloudy, and shadow. K is used to enter a specific Kelvin Temperature and PRE allows you to preset a Kelvin Temp if you shoot under a controlled lighting scheme regularly such as a factory or sports arena. If you mainly shoot outside and don't want to deal with resetting the color balance then choose daylight or cloudy and you'll be close. There are ways of fixing the color balance later if your colors are way off. There is a retouching folder in the camera's menu to fix exposure, color balance, brightness, etc. There are also programs for fixing and adjusting images made for the computer. With film, correction was made by adding filtration and that also affected the exposure. Digital imaging makes photography a lot easier.

 

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Light is what you are recording with your camera. This can be outdoors or indoors. During the day, we use the sun as our main light. The sky is a huge reflector and even without direct sunlight, you will have enough light. Cloudy or overcast days make for less contrast in your images without the harsh shadows. The sharpest contrast of light is around noon. You can lower the contrast by using a white card to fill the shadows or by using a fill light. Your fill should never match the intensity of the main light. Shadows are important because they give your subject shape but if they are too heavy you will lose detail. Don't face your subjects into the sun. Turn them so the sun comes from the side or back. If you expose for the shadows you will show shape with minimal loss of detail in the highlights. Try shooting in the shade of a tree or building. Your primary light will then be reflections of the sky giving shape without lots of contrast. Your white balance may need to be adjusted. Check your monitor on the camera back.

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White light or daylight contains all the colors of the spectrum. A red subject is red because it is absorbing all colors except red. A red light is red because only the red portion of the spectrum is being used. You see rainbows because water droplets are refracting the white light into the color spectrum.

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If you are inside shooting without a flash, match your white balance to the type of light and expose for light shadow areas. Don't let the highlights trick you into thinking you have more light than you really do. Here is a good time to use the manual setting so you achieve a lot more correctly exposed images. If you are using flash, you can bounce the flash off the ceiling (if it's not too high) and it will open the room rather than only exposing for the front subject. Do not shoot directly into glass or walls with a flash. Those flat surfaces become mirrors and the flash back will ruin your shot. Move to the side so the light does not bounce directly back into the camera. Everyone makes that mistake at least once. If your light source is fluorescent, again, expose for the shadows, and change your white balance to the fluorescent icon, or everybody will be green. It sounds confusing but it is so much easier than using film. You can check the camera's monitor to judge color and exposure.

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