Beginners Photography Blog » Beginners Photography

White Balance – Learn a Mode Mode Monday

Ingrid Owens — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:31:21 +0000

: It’s All About Balance

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timpearcelosgatos/ / CC BY 2.0

What is White Balance?

The White Balance setting (WB) on our digital camera controls the overall color cast of the image. The reason why there may be a color cast on our pictures is because this is the way that digital cameras react to light temperature.

Every light source- the sun, light filtered through clouds, a bulb inside or florescent all have a different light temperature. And each temperature results in a different color hue. Our eyes naturally filter out these color differences and in most cases all light appears the same.

Digital cameras however do see the differences in different light temperatures and hence different “colors” of light. The White Balance setting adjusts to counteract these color casts.

Just use Auto White Balance?

In most cases our camera’s Auto White Balance does a pretty good job at setting this mode correctly, however in some scenarios we are going to have to adjust this setting manually. This is especially true if we are shooting without flash and in a particularly unusual lighting situation.

Here are some pictures I took without flash to demonstrate. My subject’s dress is supposed to be snowy white:

: Auto White Balance

As you can see in the first picture, by leaving the camera’s White Balance setting to Auto, the light inside gives an overall yellow hue or cast to the picture.


: White Balanced adjusted for Tungsten

In the second picture I changed my White Balance setting to compensate for this by changing the WB to Tungsten – Much better and definitely more realistic!

Experiment

You can experiment with the White Balance Setting on your camera. Look for the WB symbol either on the back of your camera as a shortcut button or in the functions menu.

Most types of light are preset for you there

Daylight

Cloudy

Fluorescent

Tungsten (which just means a regular bulb)

Check your camera manual so that you can decipher the WB icons and play around with the settings to see the different effects that you get. This works best if you take a series of the same shot, especially if your subject includes something white so that the effect is really obvious and shoot without flash.

You’ll see how by changing this one small setting on your camera you can achieve very different results.

Happy snapping!

Welcome to Beginners Photography Blog!

Ingrid Owens — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:54:03 +0000

Are you trying to get to grips with a new digital SLR? Are you trying to get a handle on photography basics without the waffle and jargon of those high brow forums? Welcome to Beginners Photography Blog! You’ve found a place where there is no such thing as a stupid question and we are all learning together. I’ve been teaching photography in the “real world” for over 10 years and been involved in the photographic industry for the past 20yrs. I love helping people get the most out of their cameras and improve their photography easily, sometimes by just knowing which mode to use! This blog will help you do that and more!

Beginners Photography - Welcome

In my experience I’ve found that although there is a ton of photography information out there online, it can be sometimes difficult for a beginner in photography to know were to begin. Maybe you can’t be bothered with that manual or perhaps you can’t make head nor tail what that camera icon is – I promise I’ve got you covered! Beginners Photography blog is a great place to get lots of tips and tricks that will help make your pictures pop without having to know the intricate workings of your camera!

So if you’ve already begun to learn photography or if you’re just thinking about buying a Digital SLR, subscribe to our RSS feed to be sure you don’t miss any secret tips of the trade!

Black and White Photography

Ingrid Owens — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:50:14 +0000

At a family gathering this weekend I was reminded of the beauty of black and white photography. Instead of the usual family snapshots of people posing , fakey smiles and bright colors, our efforts were rewarded with a set of timeless pictures where we are not distracted by fashion or fads and the true personalities of our subjects can shine. A lot of times we forget how beautiful Black and White can be, choosing instead the “reality” of color. I have to be honest and say that in the past I’ve kept Black and White for Lansdcapes and Scenery and the odd posed portrait shot. So think about using this mode for an unusual twist on what could otherwise be another set of snaphots.

Black and White mode can be found on most cameras within the scene mode menu. Look for BW icon or a color mode. I feel it works best in situations where you can forgo flash so if your inside, turn off your flash and push up your ISO to 400 or 800.

If you’d prefer you can desaturate the color from your images after they have been taken by using a photo manipulation program such as Adobe Photoshop Elements or Picasa 3. This will certainly give you more control over the black and white effect you apply but can sometimes be quite laborious if you have several shots to work on.

Back to School for Beginners Photography

Ingrid Owens — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:28:01 +0000

There’s something about all that new stationery in every shop you go into that makes even the most reluctant student want to return to school. This Fall, why not consider beefing up your photography skills with some help from the professionals and investing in a photography class or two?

Beginners photography classes are being held all over the country. Check out your local Community centers and Artist centers for reasonably price introduction to photography classes. I hear the Nikon school of Photography is also touring it’s way around the country – a great resource for Nikon users.

If you fancy some one to one tuition I’m here as always serving the Atlanta Metro area and my September/ October calender is almost full. Check out CameraShy for more information or email me.

No time to fit in a class? Download this free report which will get you started taking great pictures in no time!

Parents Magazine Offers Photography Tips to Moms and Dads Entering Pictures of Children in Cutest Baby Photo Contest

Ingrid Owens — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:27:47 +0000

I’m really impressed with all the pictures so far! But I’m even more blown away by all the cute kids. I’m so excited to find out who the winners will be!

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 29, 2009 — Parents magazine is offering photography tips to hopeful moms and dads who are entering pictures of their chidren in the annual Parents.com cutest baby photo contest. The editors of Parents are holding the amateur photography contest to find the cutest pictures of babies 3-24 months old and pictures of kids 2-6 years old. Two winners will appear on special dual covers for the magazine’s November 2009 issue.

Parents magazine cover kid photo contest

Sharon Elcock, Sittings Editor at Parents, shared 10 photography tips for moms and dads entering pictures of children in this year’s cutest baby photo contest:
1. Take photos with a really simple, but pretty background. You can keep the dirty dishes in your kitchen sink a secret! Instead, go for natural scenery in front of lush greenery or pretty flowers.
2. Pictures with food on the face are cute for Grandma’s refrigerator – but not so much for the judges.
3. Try to capture your child in a care-free, happy moment. Photos that are too posed usually don’t show your child’s true energy and personality.
4. Try not to submit extreme close-ups please! It makes it hard to see the whole child.
5. Be honest with yourself about your child’s temperament. Does he truly enjoy taking pictures or does he burst into tears the moment you point the camera at him? If he doesn’t enjoy posing, get shots while he’s engaged in an activity.
6. Avoid taking photos of your child with hats on, or with a towel draped over their head – we’d prefer to see the kid hiding under the towel!
7. Try taking pictures using interesting, fun angles.
8. We like happy photos! Leave the cranky faces for family members.
9. Have your camera ready at all times so you don’t miss the money shot!
10. Take tons of pictures! Don’t edit yourself as you go along, Professionals take hundreds of pictures to get the keeper!Elcock says, “I’m really impressed with all the pictures so far! But I’m even more blown away by all the cute kids. I’m so excited to find out who the winners will be!”