Assignment 4 - The Subtle Colour Differences in White Balance

Different sources of light will have different 'temperatures', which are measured in Kelvin (K). These temperatures range from cold to warm. A very cold light source will have a very low Kelvin reading, whereas a warm light source will have a high Kelving reading.

On your camera there will be different White Balance settings for different types of light. These settings can include: 

• 'Daylight' (Approx. 5200K)
• 'Shade' (Approx. 7000K)
• 'Cloudy' (Approx. 6000K)
• 'Tungsten Light' (3200K)
• 'White Fluorescent Light' (Approx. 4000K)
• 'Flash'.

Using the wrong setting for a certain type of light will result in a discoloured photograph. I will try to illustrate this with the help of my own photographs below.

'Daylight'

'Shade'

'Cloudy'

'Tungsten Light'

'Fluorescent White Light'

'Flash'

As you can see, the colours range from quite cold (blue tint) to quite warm (yellow/orange tint). So one should always make sure the right White Balance setting has been selected before taking the photograph, otherwise the result will not look how one would've wanted.