White Balance: My (slightly odd) Approach

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In this video I share my 'slightly odd' approach to white balance to make sure I'm capturing the world as my eye sees it. I talk through what white balance is, how it affects the colours in our images, and my reasons for a, perhaps unusual, choice.
#streetphotography #whitebalance #5500k

[@brentmiller3250]

When I shot film, before the digital revolution, I would pick my film stock with a specific intention … based on the lighting conditions I was expecting. But once I started shooting digital, first with Canon, and then later with Fujifilm, I just set my WB to auto. It was a case of “set it, and forget it.” But honestly, why in the world would I leave it up to the camera (today), when in the past I always seriously considered it. Thanks for resetting my perspective. Well done!

[@Millie-um2bi]

Auto WB will also sometimes make different decisions during the course of a shoot which makes editing a batch of photos consistently so much harder!

[@GlennZucman]

I'm with you, Brent! Back in the film era I paid a lot of attention to color temperature. Camera auto white balance was a big change. Another big change is that so much of lighting has transitioned from 3200K tungsten to 5500K daylight LED. In the past, I had to gel windows so the daylight coming in would match the hot, tungsten lights (or vice versa), but now it's often the case that everything is daylight balanced. I do still gel windows with ND so they aren't blown out vis-a-vis the interior lighting, but I don't typically color balance these days. Anyway, like you, I sort of forgot about color temperature in the transition. Sean's video is a simple but bold wake-up call that we should be paying more attention to! As he describes, there are times when we don't want White Balance set at 5500K, like a white wedding dress. Also, with sports, I think a blue overcast day, or an orange tungsten gym, or a green-cast gym, in all those cases, I'd prefer a neutral color balance. But, exactly as he describes, for street, photojournalism, documentary, and other scenarios, it makes total sense to let the images reflect the color of the light as experienced, not wiped out by auto white. How did I not think of this before!???

[@ReclusiveEagle]

@@Millie-um2bi Not even sometimes. On a sunny day, depending on if you are pointing at a sunny area or a shady area, or depending on your subject, you can watch WB shift dramatically as you pan. Recently I had my camera pointed towards a cut tree branch, some of the leaves had begun to turn brown. Depending on if I was focused on the green grass in the background or the brown leaves in the foreground (Both in sunny conditions), WB shifted from 6500 to 3500

[@Millie-um2bi]

@@ReclusiveEagle yeah see that's why I turned that shit off so fast hahaha

[@bngr_bngr]

I just adjust it in post. I don’t worry about how it looks in the camera.

[@itsjorgieeSF]

The quality of both explanations and simultaneously showing examples 🔥

[@PitNeex]

We were so happy to have the WB auto correction that we forgot that a white paper under a lamp should be orange 😅 Thanks for the reminder, great video as always! 👍 I'll definitely experiment more with the WB settings

[@MSladekPhoto]

I have never thought of white balance this way before. Thanks for the clear explanation and offering this as food for thought. I think I'll give it a try!

[@errole]

Even with flash?

[@errole]

What about flash?

[@bricehendriks]

Flash anyone?

[@bodowoehner7859]

Old guy here and I use white balance creatively. Just used, what pleases the image. But I never got the “how stuff works” part, which left me always wanting to “really understand”. That strip thingy did it for me, brilliant ! 😀

[@StoicJason]

I really love it when Sean drops a new video. It’s just a bright spot in my week.

[@Daniel_Ilyich]

Bruh, you need to get out more. Don't get me wrong, Tucker's vids are great...but a bright spot?

[@StoicJason]

@@Daniel_Ilyich maybe keep your opinions to yourself? 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@seantuck]

Thanks mate.

[@Daniel_Ilyich]

@@StoicJason Occasionally.

[@iammarkross]

…but is it a 5500K bright spot?

[@Sooch900]

It’s crazy, I’ve been shooting for 14 years. I’ve watched hundreds of KZbin videos on photography, and this is the first time I completely understood HOW white balance works. Don’t get me wrong I’ve used white balance expertly over the years to correct colors and also creatively, but that white paper with the color slider made it finally click for me. Props on the teaching skills! I appreciate it, thank you!

[@gabolujan3109]

I know!

[@freekvanootegem7462]

This!

[@gabolujan3109]

@@freekvanootegem7462 that

[@Bledder]

You couldn’t figure it out yourself after 14 years? Everyone learns at their own pace I guess.

[@gabolujan3109]

@@Bledder typical photographer always putting down another photographer. This is why we can’t have community.

[@frankc3834]

First new info from KZbin about photography in ages for me. Thank you Sean.

[@jason.coward]

After watching this video, I realized I've never fully understood white balance in digital photography. This made all the pieces I've tried to learn come together for me. Thank you for being the incredible communicator you are, Sean!

[@eyeseedata]

The depth of your explanation and your visual props are what make you such a great communicator. The video length also hits the sweet spot. Thanks.

[@coyotemadness]

The watercolor on paper is great and gets the idea across without needing a bunch of motion graphics. Cleverly done.

[@alestomsic]

After 50 years of photography, hobby only, I realized the deep truth of how we see and yes, film was as it was. Digital wants to make it better, what is already perfect. Thank you.

[@elram2649]

Yes! Beautiful creation!

[@RasheedKhan-he6xx]

Not surprisingly as I'm merely an amateur and Sean is one the best there is, I completely subscribe to what he says around minute 9. Perfect white balance robs ambiance but strictly staying at 5500K tends to exaggerate colour-casts the moment the lighting strays in either direction. Now obviously its a matter of personal preference if you want to keep it like that but I too tend to pull back a bit in post or if I remember, in camera. One thing, Sean says RAW has a ton of latitude. He's oversimplifying for our benefit. RAW doesn't actually give a hoot about your white balance setting, that is applied afterwards during RAW conversion so you can put it anywhere you like and it shouldn't affect image quality in the slightest. A bit more information that might interest some - First, daylight temperature depends greatly on where you are shooting. Generally the farther from the equator the further light from the sun has to travel through our atmosphere and this tends to absorb blue light, resulting in natural light at midday that is quite warm. Thus daylight in (say) Birmingham is a good deal warmer in tone that it is in Chennai (latitudes 52 north and 13 north respectively). The midpoint daylight setting in Chennai is not 5500K but 6400K. Shall I ramble on? This at first seems counterintuitive: why is the light in the tropics cool and in the arctic warm? Well perhaps simply because there were misnamed. A blue flame is hotter than a red-orange flame so whilst, if applied correctly, blues should have been called hot and reds cool, it turns out our brains start to break at that point. Because since we lived in caves we've associated a flickering orange fire with warmth and many a proto-human has probably singed his fur on a glowing red ember. Secondly, the interesting bit about daylight colour temperature is the effect it has on human culture. Because blue light is kind of cold and desaturating, can even look slightly metallic, tropical cultures love bright and saturated colours. You see it in the clothes, in the art and in the architectural decoration. And some may notice that the the same pink, green, turquoise and gold saree that looks quite opulent in Colombo looks frankly a bit garish when worn in New York, whilst tourists fresh off the plane from Malmo landing in Bangkok look somewhat wan and anaemic until they start to develop a bit of a tan. Sorry for going on for so long. Colour fascinates me. :) Edit: Just a footnote - I forgot to mention however that I slightly disagree with the bit around minute 12, that our eyes are daylight white balanced. First - daylight where? If I live all my life in Lagos (latitude 6N) it would be quite a handicap to have my eyes biologically set to 5500K. Secondly, most computers and phones you may have noticed have a night light setting to ease eye strain. This is because if you are in a tungsten lit room and someone hands you a sheet of white paper - you see a sheet of white paper. You do not see a sheet of orange paper, your brain (not your eyes) has already made the adjustment for you*. So here's a tip to help those of you who work late at your computers and suffer from eye strain. Hold a white piece of paper next to your monitor and then lower the temperature on your monitor until the screen and the paper look about the same. Second tip, reduce the brightness until that looks about the same too. Your eyes will thank you and as long as you are not doing colour critical work* you will soon forget that you have the night light setting on. *however if they actually handed you a sheet of orange paper your brain might still see it as white. Because it matches the colour of the light, that's the point at which our brain can get fooled. For colour critical work therefore you need balanced lighting or if you know the lighting that will be used by your viewers you should work in similar light. Maybach and Lexus for example have light booths in their main showrooms where they can park the car and change the ambient light to match the light where you live. This way you can see what it will look like when you get it home.

[@masononemine1702]

I think if you shoot into the sun with auto white balance at Afternoon when the sun is exactly in the middle of the sky, you would probably get a more accurate number. for me its around 5100k which doesnt make sense but alright

[@Millie-um2bi]

Sean I've been doing this too! It's good to see others use WB this way. After starting photography and learning about WB I pretty quickly discovered that id shooting in uncompressed RAW I could just leave it in one spot and that the in-camera WB doesn't change the data collected, it just embeds a WB setting that your editing software will pickup and set the settings to automatically. You can get the exact same result if you set it in post as you can if you set it in camera! Once I learnt this I decided to leave it at 5500k for the sake of consistency. Always having the same starting WB has given me a consistent reference to understand what temperature light sources are and how my camera sees them. It's allowed me to become aware of how my brain compensates for WB changes when I'm just looking at the world and has trained me to understand temperatures of light sources so much better than I would have if I set WB in camera! I would encourage others to try this way of doing WB too, even if it's only for a couple months as a learning experience.

[@realthoprivate]

An alternative, of course, is to leave the camera on auto WB and instead have Lightroom apply a specific temperature when importing. Then the images will look the same after imported, "be consistent", but you still have the camera's auto values stored in the RAW and can be used if needed. Note also, that WB is not stored in the RAW as a Kelvin number. That is why the kelvin-setting in the camera will not yield the similar number showing in Lightroom.

[@Millie-um2bi]

@@realthoprivate also a good option yes!

[@docDeutschmann]

That was very technical for a change. And it mainly proved one point: "Shoot in RAW!" (...then you can decide which WB you use later...)

[@CharlesLambert-tx9jj]

Our job as photogs is to create, either in our style or the style desired by the client. For me, the bottom line is WB can be adjusted in post so I don't get too worried about setting in camera, except when I need to represent the actual color as it was during the shoot. So, like Sean, I prefer to stick with the basic 5500K unless there is a need for a specific setting. Love this channel, always a fair, balanced and thoughtful approach to our craft... and Sean just seems like a darn decent human being!

[@seantuck]

Thanks so much Charles.

[@blivieriphoto]

I’ve always set my camera on ‘daylight’ just because I was too lazy to always adjust my settings. And didn’t want auto because I never want my camera to make my decisions. Being a landscape / nature photographer, it seems to work out well for me. Thanks for explaining it!!

[@sparkalightnow]

This is the absolute best white balance video I’ve come across. You sir are a master teacher. The simplification of a seemingly complex topic? Wow. Thank you. And your work is an inspiration 💗

[@Mel-95]

My understanding of white balance was poorly lacking, but I did not know why, until now. Your video is a great example of taking an idea that appeared on the periphery (conversation with a friend) and making it into something that will resonate with many people. That is the art of it.

[@TheFamedwarrior72]

I saw this yesterday and went out for a quick shoot last night. I’m very thankful because I like seeing the bright colors that the daylight wb brought. More experimentation is due. Thanks and God bless you.

[@rupertwilliams8695]

"But raw files have a ton of latitude" - Not super important here, but WB settings or auto-WB do not affect the raw file at all, data captured is the same regardless. It will affect what is loaded into your processing application though.

[@jsndms123]

I’ve been applying this advice since this video dropped and I swear my photography has improved DRAMATICALLY

[@PaulSaxbyPhotography]

In 38 years as a full time pro, I don' think I have ever used Auto White balance. I work in exactly the same way you do, I leave it set to 5600K. The only time I change it is if I have a colour critical job that needs to render truly accurate colours. In that case I use an X-Rite Colour Checker to create custom colour profiles. I've nothing against using auto, its just not what I do. I worked with film for so long, when I changed to digital white balance wasn't really something I thought about. I just used the camera as if it were loaded with daylight balanced film. Great video Sean, I wish more people created content like yours, Thank you.

[@maxx-er3fj]

Maybe its the fact you learned to shoot with daylight balanced film so it just became natural. I leave it in auto, and make camera white balance shift slightly turned to amber. Honestly canon auto wb works good for me, but I want to start shooting at manual because it gives richer colors when set correctly. I will try to keep it at 5500 for street photography, and try to implement that knowledge in my portrait and car shots

[@MrRGBTV]

Sean has mastered the art of teaching as well as he's mastered the art of shooting. Always an informative pleasure listening to his well thought out explanations. I learn something every time.

[@artcheryl]

Thanks for sharing this, Sean! I've never considered fixing my white balance this way, but it makes so much sense to do so for street photography. The joy of getting things to look closer to what the eye sees would help me be more happy with what I shoot, and potentially have less edits to make to photos. Thank you so much for sharing your process. Such an eye opener!

[@edwtg59]

What a great explanation and video! Best cover of white balance I’ve seen…thanks for sharing!

[@donmacalister9323]

Thanks Sean, you’ve put into words an internal struggle I’ve often had setting a custom white balance on my camera by “correcting” the white balance of a sheet of paper or a white ceiling. I’m an amateur and have bought into the mantra that white must always look white, which in my heart I knew was wrong but never before realised why. Thank you.

[@DenisDolisy]

Your way of managing white balance isn't odd. I do it the same way and for the same reason. When I started photography shooting wildlife I used auto white balance and never really thought about it. One day an experienced photographer suggested me to set the camera to a fixed white balance for consistency between the shots and easier editing, which I tried. This made me discover the joy of capturing a scene the way my eyes see it and I never got back to auto. Thanks for letting others know about that joy!

[@laisandrade3006]

I have never thought about that! Thank you so much for this video! You are the best!❤

[@Nubrigtube]

Thanks for sharing this, it's the first time in many many years that I've watched advice that make my photography skills better.

[@nolanwest6831]

That's the best explanation I've heard. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.

[@markbaigent8373]

This bought back memories of shooting interiors on film, nightmare with gels and filters. Great way of explaining this Sean.

[@jackielee2580]

Such a wonderful teacher. Thank you.

[@Si88888]

Thanks Sean, this is something I was playing with and you have solidified it, really appreciate your videos!

[@DanielMartins-ld6no]

What a marvellous way of teaching a basic technique in a simple way for understanding. It’s always a pleasure to watch your videos Sean! Thanks for sharing

[@MsMusigirl]

That makes so much sense. I wish someone would have told me this sooner. Thank you for sharing!

[@fabipuello]

Sean, the concepts you share are very refreshing and transcend photography. Thank you for sharing your mindset.

[@brenoestrella7905]

Sean, you have no idea how much you've helped me with this video. As an amateur photographer, I've always struggled to grasp the concept of white balance, to the point where I just left it on auto mode. Your explanation completely blew my mind, it was incredibly clear and accompanied by simple examples. Thank you SO much for that!

[@sandrac.8651]

Thank you so much for this brilliant explanation

[@StevensonGphotos]

Great introduction to the concept. One of the clearest I've seen I reckon. I just want to mention (if anyone sees this!) that the actual data in a RAW file is completely unaffected by the white balance set in camera - that's only a bit of metadata. So you're really not loosing anything, from a technical perspective, by changing it in post. Video is different though.

[@HarleysMomIM]

Thanks Sean! I’m always learning from your videos. I appreciate your clarity and perspective on subjects that are not always simple to grasp.

[@glenblaven]

This is the most informative clearly explained video I’ve seen on KZbin for as long as I can remember. Thank you very much. Subscribed.

[@christopherbeckerdite4273]

Good to know I'm not alone with this idea. I do the same and very rarely change the WB in my postprocessing work. I appreciate your time and effort making this for us.

[@LevyCarneiro]

Thank you so much for this video. I have come to a good understanding of highlights and shadows in your previous video, and now with this video one more puzzle piece is found. Thanks!!

[@willsx2]

Sean, I can't thank you enough for all the great information that is helping me advance on my journey to level up my photography.

[@royperry7660]

Thank you for challenging photographers to think and decide for themselves. I recently went through this exact thought process, and I too found myself locking my camera on a daylight white balance. Thanks again for your thought provoking approach.

[@linaionta7590]

Brilliant and balanced. Your for and against arguments are well made and easy to understand. Thank you Sean ❤

[@manueldinisphotography]

Thank you a lot, this has been probably the best explanation of what balance is and how it works in camera and, most importantly, the different scenarios and the effect of choosing one setting vs the other. Greatly appreciated.

[@keithnisbet3419]

Brilliant explanation and very clear information to both newbies and seasoned alike, well done Sean, Subscribed.

[@ciarancosgrave]

What a brilliantly simple and sensical approach. I'm going to adopt this. Thanks Sean. You are an excellent communicator / teacher by the way.

[@iainmacdonald7034]

Excellent point about WB, Sean - can’t believe I’ve never really thought it through! Thanks for doing it for me. 🙏

[@dhaug]

Such a great demonstration, arguments and practical guide. Will definitely try it out!

[@davidburton2294]

Great video Sean - simply and brilliantly explained!

[@BGTuyau]

A nicely explained and illustrated presentation centered on a key photographic variable and the related trade-offs and aesthetic choices. Thank you.

[@arthurgphotography]

Glad to hear from a kindred spirit, I rarely use auto white balance. I liked what you said about staying true to the mood of the scene and not letting the camera neutralize it

[@marcusineson]

Thanks Sean another really clear and pragmatic explanation that I will be able to use to reduce the need to put the perceived colour back in to get the atmosphere back in.

[@Martin.Printz]

Thank you, Sean! Your video was fantastic, and your explanation was thoughtful and insightful.

[@billgreen1140]

Excellent advice. This is probably an area that many people never think about. Color balance can make an amazing difference in the look of your image. Thank you.

[@xaosgeist]

I just saw this video, but I already know, this will improve my photography. Thank You.

[@Williamcarver.]

This makes so much more sense to me! Thanks Sean. just stumbled across your videos, glad I landed here!

[@cmar6268]

Excellent explanation! Ty!

[@luiskaj2434]

Brilliant video with a truly compelling argument - thank you for sharing!

[@desoriordan9515]

One of the best tips I've gotten in a while, I plan to keep to this WB approach from now on. Thanks Sean.

[@gerryphilpott9766]

Excellent video Sean! Covered something that has been done a gazillion times on KZbin and in workshops, but illustrated it in a way that just made so much sense (to me at least) and really opened my eyes on ways I should be looking at a scene during the shoot and in post processing. Not so odd, thank you!

[@plannerjohn]

A tightly edited and thought-provoking video. This, and your last episode about Phil Sharp, are some of the most useful video’s I’ve seen in recent months. All the best.

[@runcmd1419]

Got this note from a college photo instructor years ago, blew my internet trained mind. I am glad someone has finally made a video about this!

[@wolfganglueger1691]

Great lesson Sean! Thank you so much, best statement about this important topic i have heard so far... Btw... such a joy to listen to you!

[@adithompson199]

Another great video Sean. I now have a better understanding of white balance. Thank you.

[@_noahrh]

VERY interesting timing as I literally began to ponder white balance just last night, something I’ve never really explored deeply… thank you for sharing your wisdom!

[@LeeRatcliffe]

Makes perfect sense. I tend to shoot mainly on daylight too & live with it. I edit a lot in film styles and it usually works really well. Also, the usual high standard of information and explanations from you Sean.

[@lxhk3595]

Will try it out. Thanks for sharing yr thoughts

[@andrewclarke3750]

Hi Sean I learn so much from you when you deliver training through videos shot like this. I was new to photography 6 years ago and after watching your explanation on how to shoot manual I now shoot like that 80% of the time. You explain your message in simple ways using simple props and it is simply brilliant. I've missed this sort of educational video format since you left London. Thank you for making another one. Looking forward to many more. Andy

[@SA-jr6ce]

You’re amazing ❤

[@shanewbrock]

Thanks Sean! A really useful thought and talk on white balance. It’s the little settings that can make a big difference.

[@sfenwick]

Incredibly helpful. Thank you Sean! Cheers from Chicago.

[@paullesliehutson5818]

A really useful and clear video for everyone Sean. Thank You.

[@mr_k4tz]

One of your best videos. Thanks for sharing

[@ianmorris2098]

Excellent video Sean, very helpful and informative. Much appreciated.

[@kstrohmeier]

My first thought early in the video was that you would like daylight film. That is where I started and I didn’t learn or understand white balance when I first moved to digital photography.

[@donnamariajones8960]

What I love about out you Sean, is that you are always in service to others. I hope you know just how much you are appreciated. This is the first time I’ve had the concept and use of white balance explained in this way and it makes so much sense. Keep doing what you’re doing! Parable Volume 3 is on its way to me and I’m anxious to see what you’ve been up to.

[@jonasll]

Sean - I hope you know how impressive it is that you are building such a thoughtful community through you content. Kudos to you.

[@sarahbatsford4791]

The best explanation on this subject. I now get it!! Thank you Sean😁

[@amansirpal353]

Hi Sean, your videos are always so informative, and I wish to Thank-you for all your efforts. You have helped me and I'm sure others improve their photography skills.

[@kenl2527]

Thank you so much for the video! After having own a camera for almost 3 years and watching tons of videos on KZbin, this is by far the most underrated video.

[@andrewpreiss3923]

Your explanations are very clear and easy to understand.

[@jvkperspective]

Thank you Sean - best explanation of how white balance works and what cameras are doing!

[@KT97379]

Presentation and explanation is so nice!

[@stablizershock]

Your channel is a gem. Learned soo much from you

[@willempretorius5309]

This was far more interesting than I had anticipated and makes a heap of sense. Thank you.

[@TonyLoguePhotography-qh6yt]

Great explanation. Our eye sees in daylight light balance. Brilliant

[@michellewhite6692]

This is the best explanation of how white balance works that I’ve seen. Thank you Sean!

[@payamgh5143]

Love this approach

[@TimGreig]

This is the way I have been shooting for years unless I'm trying to "correct" some horrendous mix of light sources. But then, I would do that post. Great explanation Sean.

[@TiagoSLoureiro]

I was actually thinking these days about the white balance of film photography, and questioning why not do the same with my digital camera and set it to daylight always. Awesome, this video gave me the answer to that question. Thank you Sean.

[@GavinDavidson]

Excellent explanation of this concept. Lovely collection of images at the end too ❤

[@nigelwest3430]

You're not the only one, my WB on all my cameras is always set to 5600k, that way if I decide to edit it, I know I have a consistent starting point

[@wildzenventures]

Great explanation! Thank you

[@chrisnaughton4743]

Well done. Thank you.

[@weddingbells100]

Thank you, Sean, for a very explicit explanation of WB I found it very informative, and I will try your way of setting WB in the future.

[@jkbrwn]

I can't wait to try this out, really good advice!