Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 6, 2009 21:32:42 GMT -5
I recently posted a few photos knowing that the color wasn't quite right. What should have been white was yellow instead. Thanks to suggestions by Hard Rock Cafe and tonyterner, I explored White Balance on my digital camera. What a drag ... I had to read the manual. But it was well worth the investment in higher learning.
In addition to setting the White Balance, I also set the camera up for Spot Metering. This samples the ambient light at the focal point of the camera only, rather than the overall field of view.
In the case of my Fuji Finepix S1000, the improvement was so extreme, I wanted to share this information with everyone and strongly encourage you to crack the manual and set your white balance. The Quick Start guide rarely covers this setting.
These comparative photos are straight out of the camera. They have been straightened and cropped only. No software color adjustments have been made. Here we go.
Before White Balance - White Agate (or is it glowing orange calcite)
After White Balance - White Agate (my iceberg on a sea of blue)
Before White Balance - Agate (yellow yuck)
After White Balance - Agate (green inclusions from a copper-rich area)
Before White Balance - Agate with Epidote (really)
After White Balance - Agate (that's better, Epidote should be green)
Before White Balance - Rhyolite (with jaundice)
After White Balance - Rhyolite (with fully functioning kidneys)
Extreme, or what? I hope this information helps others as much as it has helped me. I didn't expect to become a better photographer when I joined this site, but I didn't expect to buy a tile saw either.
From this point on, my photos will be real. Promise!
150FromFundy
In addition to setting the White Balance, I also set the camera up for Spot Metering. This samples the ambient light at the focal point of the camera only, rather than the overall field of view.
In the case of my Fuji Finepix S1000, the improvement was so extreme, I wanted to share this information with everyone and strongly encourage you to crack the manual and set your white balance. The Quick Start guide rarely covers this setting.
These comparative photos are straight out of the camera. They have been straightened and cropped only. No software color adjustments have been made. Here we go.
Before White Balance - White Agate (or is it glowing orange calcite)
After White Balance - White Agate (my iceberg on a sea of blue)
Before White Balance - Agate (yellow yuck)
After White Balance - Agate (green inclusions from a copper-rich area)
Before White Balance - Agate with Epidote (really)
After White Balance - Agate (that's better, Epidote should be green)
Before White Balance - Rhyolite (with jaundice)
After White Balance - Rhyolite (with fully functioning kidneys)
Extreme, or what? I hope this information helps others as much as it has helped me. I didn't expect to become a better photographer when I joined this site, but I didn't expect to buy a tile saw either.
From this point on, my photos will be real. Promise!
150FromFundy
