First pics posted

[dtornabene1]

Is there anywhere I should look for a ballpark list of k values to use as a starting point? The manual had a little chart. Perhaps I'll start there.

Jason,

This is a tricky question. You see an image such as this one (not cropped so you get the full effect) is set at 7600K:

All the blue in the water confused the camera. Now this photo is at 6500K:

So what does this mean? The first photo looks way more "cool" than the second, however the temp is much higher. What gives?

The answer is both simple and complex. At the time the photos were taken the camera thought it knew what the best temp was. It was wrong so I fixed them. I like to set the WB (White Balance) manually but in the RAW editor. This is the best solution.

Looking at a little screen on the back of your camera and trying to be sure you have everything correct is just not going to work. Focus on the things that can not be changed later, for example, the focus!

Don't worry about gray cards, while you can get them fairly cheap, trust your instincts and make the picture as you see fit. If the picture has a lot of cool colors, you will probably have to turn up the temp and visa versa.

One last thing to consider is black and white prints. As a beginner I do not recommend getting to involved with color curves and shifts until you have had some more experience. So, how can I make a black and white picture look great without a ton of knowledge? Mess with the WB! Make an otherwise boring picture great by purposely changing its' temp.

Hope this made things more clear and did not confuse the issue.

-Nick


http://cid-ffa30c277c7d5767.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.Public/Carmen in the pool 2.JPG

 

[saycheese76]

Hope this made things more clear and did not confuse the issue.

It sure did. Thanks again for such good info. I'll post up some more when I get a chance to apply your advice.
Jason