
Hello, everyone! Melissa here today to talk to you about what I
consider one of the most important technical aspects of photography-
setting the proper white balance.
If you've ever noticed your photos having a slightly yellow or blue
cast to them, it's most likely that an improper white balance is the
culprit. While the human eye can adjust to different temperatures of
light fairly easily (think tungsten gym lighting vs. sunlight vs.
indoor incandescent or fluorescent lighting), camera sensors are not
so adaptable and have to be told what type of lighting conditions
they're shooting under. Most cameras (whether SLR or point and shoot),
have a wide variety of white balance setting available, including the
option to allow the camera to determine the correct temperature
setting (usually labeled as "Auto" white balance).
My camera (a Nikon D3) has several different settings, plus the option
to set a custom white balance (more on that in a minute). Let's take a
look at what happens when the same subject is shot with different
white balance modes under the same lighting conditions.
The first setting we'll look at is Auto white balance. The camera does
a fair job of detecting and adjusting for the complex lighting
conditions (this scene was shot under a combination of compact
fluorescent lights and indirect natural light from a nearby window),
though it's perhaps just a touch warm.

The indoor incandescent setting is far too blue- it's trying to adjust
for the yellow hue of incandescent light, which has a much warmer
temperature than either the natural light or CF being used in this
situation.

Fluorescent goes far too yellow and just a bit pink- again, the camera
is trying to compensate for the strong blue tones of overhead
fluorescent lights.

Sunlight white balance gives us the warmest tint we've seen yet!

And Shade goes warmer still.

The cloudy setting isn't much better.

Flash white balance is clearly all wrong!

There's also a setting on my camera (all cameras may not have this)
that allows me to dial in the exact light temperature I want to shoot
at. Just for fun, here's an example set at the far too warm end of the
spectrum at 2500 Kelvin.

Now, most photo editing software (I use Lightroom) has a setting that
allows for either automatic or custom white balance adjustment. This
is a great tool to use if you either forgot or weren't able to adjust
your white balance while shooting, but not having the proper white
balance set in camera comes at a price.
Here's an example of the 2500 Kelvin photo adjusted for Auto white
balance in Lightroom (the only adjustment I made).

See how the contrast and exposure are quite a ways off from what the
camera captured with the Auto white balance set right from the start?
Auto (in camera):

Auto (in software):

That's a big difference!
Now, we've taken a look at all the ways that you can use
readily-available settings in camera to adjust your white balance
settings, but what about those tricky mixed-lighting situations? For
those, and really for almost all of my photography now, I like to set
a Custom white balance instead of using a preprogrammed one in my
camera. Most DSLRs will have an option that allows you to set a custom
white balance, so consult your user's manual to find out how. Setting
a custom white balance also requires the use of either a grey card
(there are portable grey cards available) or a special lens filter
that is used only when you need to set a white balance. I always use
the latter, and my favorite is the baLens lens cap.

This tool (available on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/baLens-BAL77-White-Balance-Neutral/dp/B001KW68QW/)
takes the place of a normal lens cap. Following the instructions for
setting a custom white balance in your camera, you can take a test
shot through this lens while it's pointed at your light source (or
between light sources for mixed lighting situations) to set the
correct temperature.
Let's take a look at what happens when this cap is used to set a
custom white balance:

Awesome, right? It's pretty much right on how the scene looked to my eye.
And, just for comparison, here's a look at Auto white balance in
camera and in software. I definitely prefer the look of the custom
shot!
Auto (in camera):

Auto (in software):

White balance isn't just important for getting rid of the color cast
in your photos- having the proper white balance set from the beginning
helps your camera choose the correct exposure and contrast settings,
as well, leading to better photos overall.
Hope you liked this tutorial!
Take care!
Melissa