I have two questions about lighting and how to fiix it. Sorry if this is very basic.
These long dark evenings mean lots of indoor photography under artificial lights. We also have a lot of energy saving light bulbs which i dont think help anything.
My first question is what's the best way to get rid of the orangey, yellowy tinge to ny indoor photographs, the white balance presets don't seem to help?
Secondly, i am trying to use some lamps and things as substitue light, especially for a side project i want to start. Again these lamps produce an artificial light. Is there a type of bulb or lamp i should use that wont cost the earth
I always shoot in RAW and AWB setting. I then fix the temperature in Lightroom or CS5. I have made my own stand lights in the past from the small fluorescent tube lights out of the back of Transit vans and these worked quite well. Sometimes its nice to play about and experiment with unusual lighting techniques so good luck and have fun.
Like @unit8, I always shoot in RAW and then fix the WB in Lightroom. If you want "correct" WB you can get an 18% gray card and use that to set the WB by, although this won't always be the most pleasing effect.
@amyamoeba thats a beautiful shot. Presumably the bulb must be very bright. The aperture isn't that wide and Shutter speed is not long. I just can't produce anything like that. :(
This is exactly what the custom white balance setting is intended for. Read up on it on your manual, but basically you take a photo of a white object illuminated by your 'bad' lighting (such as a truly white wall, or a white piece of paper held up in front of the camera). Make sure it fills the image. (Pros use a grey card, but a white piece of paper works virtually as well).
You then use this image to set the custom white balance. Depending on your camera this is done in different ways, so I can't directly advise on the steps necessary.
The images then taken under that lighting will be as close to neutral as possible. Cheap CCFL lighting does not have a great CRI (Colour Rendition Index) so some colours will still look a bit odd (as they do to the eye), but you'll be as good as you're able to get. You may still want to make the image slightly warmer or cooler in post-processing, depending on the look you are going for, but you have the basic setting right so adjustments can be minor.
If you shoot in RAW, you can do all this in post-processing, but it can still be easier to get it right in camera so you don't have to guess at what was actually the right setting when you get the files on the computer.
If you are buying bulbs specifically for lighting, there are all kinds of expensive ones you could get, but I would stick to simple old-fashioned tungsten filament bulbs (the type every lamp used before CCFLs came along, not the halogen ones). Unfortunately I think you're in the UK, so they're a bit hard to find now, but they are a black body radiator (meaning they emit light at all wavelengths) which means they have a perfect colour rendition index (provided you don't cover them in a coloured shade). They have a relatively warm colour temperature, but it's very predictable, so the 'tungsten' white balance setting on your camera should be spot on pretty much every time if the only lights contributing to your scene are tungsten filament bulbs.
@amyamoeba wow great shot. Ill give it a go. I'll tag you in the results for critique if you don't mind. @tigerdreamer thanks karen i will look out for those bulbs.
@abirkill very informative thanks. I will try the white balance setting adjustments. Can i just ask - do i take the photo of the white then adjust it myself in the custom WB? Its not an automatic thing. Thanks
I got a yongnuo yn465 they make one for nikon, one for canon, costs about $50 and I got some film flash, two for about $10 and I got an off camera transmitter receiver kit for about $30 so that I can mount the two film flash on tripods and activate them with my camera, so $90 in total for a full indoor kit. Mind, don't ever use film flash directly on your DSLR though. At one end of the white balance presets you got cold, at the other end warm, just cool the light down a bit if its too yellow.
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Lighitng is not basic. It can be very complicated. Just know that complicated lighting has a high price.
Most of my shots are taken this.way.
Mobile phones also make great extra lighting!
When all else fails, turn it b&w or sepia
But it is fun to play with those light settings
You then use this image to set the custom white balance. Depending on your camera this is done in different ways, so I can't directly advise on the steps necessary.
The images then taken under that lighting will be as close to neutral as possible. Cheap CCFL lighting does not have a great CRI (Colour Rendition Index) so some colours will still look a bit odd (as they do to the eye), but you'll be as good as you're able to get. You may still want to make the image slightly warmer or cooler in post-processing, depending on the look you are going for, but you have the basic setting right so adjustments can be minor.
If you shoot in RAW, you can do all this in post-processing, but it can still be easier to get it right in camera so you don't have to guess at what was actually the right setting when you get the files on the computer.
If you are buying bulbs specifically for lighting, there are all kinds of expensive ones you could get, but I would stick to simple old-fashioned tungsten filament bulbs (the type every lamp used before CCFLs came along, not the halogen ones). Unfortunately I think you're in the UK, so they're a bit hard to find now, but they are a black body radiator (meaning they emit light at all wavelengths) which means they have a perfect colour rendition index (provided you don't cover them in a coloured shade). They have a relatively warm colour temperature, but it's very predictable, so the 'tungsten' white balance setting on your camera should be spot on pretty much every time if the only lights contributing to your scene are tungsten filament bulbs.
@tigerdreamer thanks karen i will look out for those bulbs.
@helstor i bet that gives a good light - sounds pricey though!
I got a yongnuo yn465 they make one for nikon, one for canon, costs about $50 and I got some film flash, two for about $10 and I got an off camera transmitter receiver kit for about $30 so that I can mount the two film flash on tripods and activate them with my camera, so $90 in total for a full indoor kit. Mind, don't ever use film flash directly on your DSLR though. At one end of the white balance presets you got cold, at the other end warm, just cool the light down a bit if its too yellow.