What is white balance? How to use it for bird photography especially in low Light?
Feb 12, 2017 07:04:09 #
I have a canon 7d Mark 2. I realy can't control light and therefore have a problem with getting good pics. Please advise.
Feb 12, 2017 07:06:11 #
Madhukr wrote:
I have a canon 7d Mark 2. I realy can't control light and therefore have a problem with getting good pics. Please advise.
So much has been written about adjusting WB, but I've always shot on Auto WB and done slight adjustments in post, if necessary. I'm afraid that making in-camera adjustments would mess things up.
Feb 12, 2017 07:34:51 #
It is hard to know exactly what you mean when you say you "can't control light". Are you just having WB problems, or exposure problems? You need to submit examples of your photos so that we can help figure out the problem. Almost always AWB works well, and taking bird photos you generally only have two options other than AWB - sunny or cloudy.
Feb 12, 2017 07:49:02 #
It sounds like you're referring to ISO settings. You needed to boost the ISO due to low light conditions. White balance refers to the color balance. You see it expressed in Kelvin.
Feb 12, 2017 07:52:42 #
Madhukr wrote:
I have a canon 7d Mark 2. I realy can't control light and therefore have a problem with getting good pics. Please advise.
White balance adjusts the temperature of the light, not the amount of light. You really need to do some homework. There is no substitute. Period. Get a good book like Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure and read it!
Feb 12, 2017 08:51:03 #
Mr. B wrote:
White balance adjusts the temperature of the light, not the amount of light. You really need to do some homework. There is no substitute. Period. Get a good book like Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure and read it!
Very good read
Feb 12, 2017 08:59:57 #
Madhukr wrote:
I have a canon 7d Mark 2. I realy can't control light and therefore have a problem with getting good pics. Please advise.
Advice: post an example image that demonstrates an example of the problem(s) you've been experiencing. Please be sure the check 'store original' so we can download and see into the EXIF data in the file to help create a constructive discussion of your camera settings and ideas to change.
Feb 12, 2017 23:33:42 #
Feb 12, 2017 23:37:40 #
I know I really need to get into the depth of the things. When I use ISO 200 or 400 the result is very grainy. Somebody suggested that the white balance can improve pics.
Feb 12, 2017 23:40:31 #
jerryc41 wrote:
So much has been written about adjusting WB, but I've always shot on Auto WB and done slight adjustments in post, if necessary. I'm afraid that making in-camera adjustments would mess things up.
Most of the time that's what I do. In Lightroom you can always warm or cool to suit taste.
Feb 13, 2017 04:14:25 #
ISO has nothing to do with your white balance. You can shoot raw, and fix it afterwards, or do a custom white balance before the shoot. You shouldn't see much noise at those ISO levels. Please try to post at least one shot for the expert twho see.
Feb 13, 2017 04:36:21 #
Madhukr wrote:
I have attached a pic for reference.
Not seeing it. The prior advice is all spot on--but still need an example with "store original" checked.
Best.
Feb 13, 2017 05:51:56 #
jerryc41 wrote:
So much has been written about adjusting WB, but I've always shot on Auto WB and done slight adjustments in post, if necessary. I'm afraid that making in-camera adjustments would mess things up.
I usually just leave it on AWB too, unless I am fairly sure I know what the color balance is that I have, daylight, cloudy, etc. But then since I'm usually shooting Raw WB matters little as one click in Adobe Camera Raw and I can correct it to any value I like. I know some people that in camera custom set their WB to Kelvins. I don't see the point in that if they are shooting Raw. Adjusting Kelvins to a bit warm makes perfect sense for JPGs.
Feb 13, 2017 05:54:44 #
Madhukr wrote:
I know I really need to get into the depth of the things. When I use ISO 200 or 400 the result is very grainy. Somebody suggested that the white balance can improve pics.
Grainy at ISO 200 or 400, or even 800? Something else is probably wrong!
How are you uploading to your computer? What software are you using? You will want at least a
300ppi 8-bit TIF as your basic master file. Say from a 12 or 14-bit camera. I personally usually work from a 14-bit camera's out-put RAW to 300ppi 16-bit PSD or TIF files, using Photoshop CS6. One can do the same with Lightroom CC or Photoshop CC. I believe PSE 15 is still only 8-bit. Are you somehow ending up with 72 or 92 ppi files and then cropping those? As others have said, please post an image or two with data.
Feb 13, 2017 06:23:30 #
A Canon 7d MkII should take beautiful pictures. I looked at some of the OP's images that he has posted in the past. Some of his bird shots are taken in the shade under brush and leaves. I also see some exposure problems, hot spots, uneven lighting. The need for fill-flash? (Not sure how well that would go with bird photography). Actually his images are very far from terrible. So I'm not sure what the grain is he is talking about (well in general...). Of the images that I have looked at some show when zoomed in on (pixel peaking) some sort of odd pixilation or remnants around "objects" in the image. Weird, plain or smooth areas look fine. My guess is some processing issue. Others NEED to examine his image(s). 
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