will47 Loc: Indianapolis, IN

I got this book from the library and have been reading it. He mentions in this book that he sets is white balance to cloudy and rarely changes it. I am going to try this very soon but I was wondering if anyone here has done this and how did it work out for you? Would this also apply when using fill flash? Thanks.

Haydon

It depends on your commitment in achieving an accurate exposure. I know Bryan uses Nikon and cloudy gives a warmer picture but my eye doesn't particularly like the result with my Canons. Setting a custom white balance can be a pain at times but your colors are more accurate.

Armadillo Loc: Ventura, CA

will47,

Each camera manufacturer has a different idea on what constitutes "White Balance", just like the difference between Kodak film and Fuji film.

White balance is a personal choice, it depends on what looks good to you. When using Kodak Kodacolor film we used to use a warming filter to capture people with a slightly warmer (suntan) appearance. Today we can adjust the White Balance during Post Processing (PP).

You can set White Balance in camera with may choices (daylight, cloudy, flash, etc.), or you can use a standard object and photograph it under various conditions with the camera set to daylight. In PP you can adjust your white balance to suite your preference for a capture under daylight conditions. Record your WB settings and refer to them for each capture after the initial setting. You can perform this test with each of your camera's WB presets.

With film we could add an adjustment filter on the lens (warming filter) and then spend hours in the chemical darkroom processing the prints to our personal liking. Today we have a nice comfortable room with a computer to process our images and prints, all it takes is a little testing and recording of settings.

My suggestion is to set a personnel standard for your camera, record those standards, then PP a standard image and record your PP settings. If you perform this research for your camera and each of its suggested WB conditions you will shorten the amount of time on the computer and achieve much better results in your photographs.

Michael G

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I know he does that and it's fine to do...you have to decide if it works for you.

Personally, I don't.

sloscheider Loc: Minnesota

I think he also says there are exceptions when he changes to something else.

tramsey Loc: Texas

I shoot a Nikon and have read Understand Exposure till its ragged. I did what he said and set the white balance to 'cloudy' and shoot several different types of photos. I tried several different settings of white balance but always came back to 'cloudy'. The only time I move it now is when I'm shooting inside and the light isn't so great. Maybe I'm not as particular as some about the photo but I am very satisfied with what I shoot.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Compared to "sunny" or "normal", setting the camera to "cloudy" usually increases the saturation. Very vivid colors can be desirable, but this also increases the possibility of blowing out strong colors in the scene. The best thing to do is to experiment with the different options to get a feel what the camera does to the image in various situations.

TonyP Loc: New Zealand

Yes I saw him make that suggestion and thought it a bit strange for a book about understanding exposure.
I tried it, just because I could, but sort of knew what the result would be.
Yes it increases colour, in some cases ,but to me, one of the reasons for spending the big bucks on digital is the manufacturers effort that goes in to getting good WB.
Why second guess all that expert technology.
I prefer to use Vivid in the menu when I want to see bright colours.
Then again, I shoot mainly RAW, so guess the point is a bit moot.
9 out of 10 times I find the auto WB extremely good in the D7100 but sometimes a bit hit and miss in the D300s.
I guess it all depends just how much control one wants over the end result.

Can't help with flash option. Try it. Costs nothing. Be interested in the result.
Cheers

juicesqueezer Loc: Okeechobee, Florida

Never read Petersons book, but I set camera balance to cloudy. Pictures seem to pop more and only change when shooting indoors!

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

I'm set to cloudy but, again, I only shoot RAW.

Erik_H Loc: Denham Springs, Louisiana

I've read many times that he recommends cloudy, and I can see his point. However, I shoot raw only so I set mine to auto, it maked my previews look better and I can tweak it in post if needed.

Zero_Equals_Infinity Loc: Canada

If shooting Raw all the White Balance does is provide information. It does not cast the image unless you are shooting JPEG, but then why would I want to do that? I usually leave it on Auto WB.

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

It's super easy to set the custom white balance.

I like a TRUE representation of what I saw....

TonyP Loc: New Zealand

David, I'm confused.
With all the fantastic high end gear you have, plus the fact you only shoot RAW, why do you set WB on Cloudy?
What am I missing here?

Phg Loc: Canada

A little post processing is the way to go to adapt to the individual situation. I stay on auto.