| No-Flash Photography In Low-Light Situations |
| Tips and techniques for indoor shooting without a flash |
From "The Whole Picture"
episode DTWP-111 |
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(Continued from page )
White BalanceThe key to good photos using available light (i.e., with no flash) is a good understanding of how to use your camera's key settings. Aside from the ones already discussed--ISO, shutter speed and aperture--one of the most important settings in digital photography is white balance. As you shoot in varied lighting conditions, this is the setting that essentially tells your camera what's white and what's not. Once your camera has a good reference for what is white, it can automatically make adjustments to properly balance the other colors in the spectrum. With proper white balance, your less likely to get those pictures that have an unnaturally yellowish glow or a greenish pallor.
In automatic mode, your digital camera will attempt to automatically match the color of light you're shooting in. Typically, incandescent lights produce a warm, orangey glow in photographs while fluorescent light can make your subjects appear greenish or washed out. Rather than relying on your camera's automatic pre-sets, you may be able to get better results by controlling the white balance settings yourself. This allows you to set your camera for the specific type of light you're shooting in.Using your camera's white balance really lets you experiment with color temperature and allows you the opportunity to take better photos. To change the white balance settings on your camera, go into the function menu and select the setting to match your light source. When shooting under most non-fluorescent indoor lights, switching your white balance to tungsten --or on some cameras "incandescent"-- (figure A) will probably make your pictures turn out less warm, yellowish looking than if you leave your white balance on automatic (figure B).
If you prefer the warmth, just go back into the menu and reset the white balance to automatic. It's just that easy. Not only can you set the white balance to "tungsten", but you'll also find other settings such as "daylight," "cloudy," and "fluorescent." Even if you're not shooting in these particular lighting conditions, try some experimentation. You might try setting your white balance to "daylight" when shooting indoors, for example, and just see what you get. Remember, depending on the effect you're going for, a good photo is subjective. Experiment and go with what you like and what you think looks best. Though it's essential to understand the basic elements of photography like sensitivity, shutter speed, aperture and white balance, sometimes the best pictures you take are the ones you take by accident.
RESOURCES :
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Digital Photography
Model: 002864235X
Author: Steven Greenberg
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Prentice Hall
Paramus, NJ 07652
Digital Photography For Dummies
Model: 0764506463
Author: Julie Adair King
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Hungry Minds, Inc.
Complete Digital Photography
Model: 1584500077
Author: Ben Long
Order this book from Amazon.com.
Charles River Media
Website: www.charlesriver.com/
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