When Not to Use Auto White Balance in Wildlife Photography

This Article covers When Not to Use Auto White Balance in Wildlife Photography. White Balance is a camera setting that the majority of time is just left on Auto. In fact most cameras when you open the box are set to Auto White Balance. Auto White Balance can be used all the time and you will get perfectly good results. So why would you need to change it?

There are certain situations in wildlife photography where setting the White Balance to a different setting can change the image quite dramatically and really enhance your images. So in this article we will look at the situations When Not to Use Auto White Balance in Wildlife Photography.

But before we do – let me explain the basics of White Balance.

White Balance in Photography.

White balance in photography is defined as an adjustment that the camera makes so that the colours of your image are seen naturally without being affected by the colour of the light source of the scene.

When your camera adjusts the white balance, it’s compensating for the colour hue of your light source so the colours in your image stay true to reality. That is, the pure white parts of your image look white and don’t pick a warmer or colder tone due to the hue of the light source.

In wildlife photography, we often work with the noonday sun as an ideal light source. While perfectly balanced, not all lighting is as neutral as daylight. When working indoors or outdoors (in conditions other than pure daylight) and mixed lighting environments, the changes in hue will have a strong impact on the colours of your photo. White balance is important because, without it, colours in your images will take on warm or cool tones that you may not notice while photographing (something also known as “colour cast”).

Our eyes and brains are very good at filtering out (white balancing) unnatural hues. However, a digital camera captures exactly what’s there, and the resulting image may look nothing like what you expect. In short, the white balance of an image can be affected by the colour temperature of light in the environment.

In order to understand white balance in photography, we need to learn the basics of how white balance and colour temperature work.

White Balance and Colour Temperature

White balance and colour temperature are very closely related. We describe colour temperature in kelvins, a scale used to measure the colour temperature of a specific light source. The abbreviation for describing kelvins in white balance is simply “K”.

Colour temperature is a physical property of light, and each light source is identified by a different colour temperature.

For example, candlelight and tungsten are extremely warm in colour temperature, with values ranging from 1500-3000 K. Fluorescent light is related to the slightly warm cast of fluorescent lighting (typically around 4000-4500K). The colour temperature of the Daylight white balance setting is relatively neutral at 5000-6500K, and will typically be the best choice for shooting outdoors. However, if the sky becomes overcast, you may need to choose the cloudy white balance setting, around 7500 K, to add warmth to the blue hues.

The colour temperature and white balance settings in-camera can be a bit contradictory. When it’s set to auto, your camera automatically compensates for the colour temperature. However, if you want your picture to look colder, you’ll have to select a warmer colour temperature and vice versa so your camera can compensate with the opposite colour temperature. We’ll see this in some white balance examples below.

Colour temperature is only part of the puzzle but is fundamental for explaining white balance in photography.

To be correct colour temperature measurements are in Kelvin and like other aspects of photography the logic is reversed…  larger Kelvin values are cool and low Kelvin values are warm. Colour temperatures over 5000 K are blue-white and referred to as “cool colours”
Colour temperatures (2700–3000 K) are yellow-white and called “warm colours”
Vertical daylight and electronic flash are considered to be 5500 K

Setting the White Balance in Camera

Your white balance camera settings ensure you have the most accurate possible colours. While automatic white balance is the most common option, there are many choices to work with.

The AWB in-camera setting is the one the vast majority of photographers stick to. We can define auto white balance as the adjustment that allows the camera to select the best white balance and colour temperature settings for a specific scene.

Digital cameras are best at finding the correct white balance from 3200-6500K. In other words, they’re very accurate at selecting the best colour temperature between a warm indoor and daylight white balance, the light environments photographers usually work with.

White Balance Pre-sets

Semi-Automatic White Balance is perfect for environments where a single type of light dominates the scene. Each of the in-camera white balance pre-sets has a symbol that will help you adjust the necessary setting faster and compensate for the best white balance in your image.

White balance symbols commonly used by most camera brands include a cloud for overcast skies or a bulb for indoor lighting (white balance tungsten). The sun is always white balance daylight, and fluorescent light white balance is usually a picture of a fluorescent fixture.

Auto White Balance is the tool you’ll use for most situations. Modern cameras are very good at selecting the correct white balance for each scene. However, when the colour temperature is warmer than 3200K (tungsten) or colder than 6500K (daylight), auto white balance can struggle.

In these situations, selecting a Semi-Automatic white balance mode is best.

You can also set the white balance manually – but this is not something covered here

 

Shade White Balance 7500k

Cloudy White Balance 6500k

Daylight White Balance 5600k

Flash White Balance 5500k

Auto White Balance 5300k

Fluorescent White Balance 3800k

Tungsten White Balance 2850k

All images of the Kingfisher. Taken in Motherwell. Scotland. Nikon D850. F7.1 1/1000. ISO1000. -0.33. 600mm lens. Shot in Aperture Priority

All kingfisher images are shot on the same camera settings with different white balance settings. None of the images have been processed or colour corrected. This clearly shows the difference in the white balance settings and the impact that it can have on an image.

When Not to Use Auto White Balance in Wildlife Photography

So we have looked at the basics behind White Balance and Colour Temperature and discussed that Auto White Balance is good for a lot of situations. But what are the exceptions and how do we overcome them. Any situations that I don’t use Auto White Balance for I will choose either Cloudy or Shade White Balance. I find that Cloudy WB give you deeper yellow and orange tones and Shade WB gives you deeper reds and browns.

The situations when Not to Use Auto White Balance in Wildlife Photography are described below and these are the situations where I would use Cloudy or Shade White Balance.

1.

Sunsets and Sunrises.

Have you ever taken a photo of a beautiful sunrise or sunset with all those warm hues that we love (like oranges, yellows, reds, etc.) only to find that your resulting image was disappointing at best. Or maybe, you might want to make your average sunset photo look more warm and pleasing? Either way, one of most rewarding concepts, in my opinion, for sunrise/sunset photography is the difference that changing your white balance can make in the camera.

As discussed earlier “The colour temperature and white balance settings in-camera can be a bit contradictory. When it’s set to auto, your camera automatically compensates for the colour temperature. However, if you want your picture to look colder, you’ll have to select a warmer colour temperature and vice versa so your camera can compensate with the opposite colour temperature”

In general, during sunrise the colour temperature gets progressively warmer while at sunset the colour temperature gets progressively cooler, and typically the change is more pronounced at sunset it’s a little counter intuitive as we normally have red & orange sunsets… that quickly turn bluish as the sun dips below the horizon.

Sunsets and sunrise are and ideal example of when we want to keep the warm colours in our photos. In such cases we do want warm colours, while cameras through AUTO WB try to make them more neutral.

In essence, the mistake most photographers make is to leave their cameras in Auto WB all the time including at the beginning and the end of the day. The problem is that Auto WB allows the camera to adjust the colour reproduction and when the scene you are shooting has lots of warm tones in it, the camera thinks that it should make the warmness turn cooler and adds blue back in, often ruining the effect you were going for. If Auto WB does not reproduce the scene accurately, or if you are like me and you would like to accentuate the effect of the warmth, you have some other options. In terms of using the preset (the WB “modes”) on the camera, going to Cloudy/Overcast adds some warmth and going to Shade adds even more. 

2.

Autumn Colours

Another really good time to use Cloudy or Shade White Balance is during the season of Autumn, this is for the same reasons as above. Changing the white balance will add warmth to the beautiful orange, yellow and browns of the autumn season.

Autumn is a season that is ripe with rich colour, however it is also known for its unpredictable weather and flat light. To ensure you capture a scene in the best possible way, try changing the white balance setting on your camera to match, rather than just using the auto option.

Shooting autumn leaves where the weather conditions are fairly bright, you would expect to get a punchy, warm image in result. However, leaving your camera’s white balance set at Auto will give your final image a rather cold feel with little depth or crispness.

By simply changing your white balance from Auto to Cloudy your camera will cope with the tonal ranges far better and will create a warmer feel, making your scenes look much more like how they actually appeared.

3.

Naturally Red and Orange birds and animals.

When photographing animals and birds such as Red Pandas, Red Squirrels or Red Kites I will adjust the White Balance to cloudy, this will warm up the reds that are naturally there in the fur or feathers of the subject. You do have to be a little careful when using this as it can create an unnatural “colour cast” on the whole of the image but the 2 examples above are good examples of when to use it. The Red Squirrel dominates the frame and you really want to maximise the natural colouration of the squirrel. The Red Panda is shot wider but because of the brown leaves on the tree warming up the whole scene is not a problem.

Try this the next time you photograph subjects that are predominantly red/orange and see what results you can get.

4.

“Golden Hour”

The Golden Hour is simply the first hour of light or the golden hour of light that happens after sunrise (usually the hour after sunrise) and the last hour of light before sunset (usually the hour before sunset) and the length of golden hour varies with seasons and the latitude you live. Of course, when exactly this occurs and how long the golden hour lasts, will depend on where you live and will vary with the seasons.

Since the sun is at a lower angle slightly above the horizon during sunrise and sunset, the light passes through the atmosphere scattering off the other colours. It gives that warm, golden glow known as the golden hour light, as it gives you a striking colour palette to record – some warm yellows, oranges, and reds. Images taken during this time tend to look happy, warm and cheerful.

Auto white balance isn’t your best choice when shooting during the golden hour. Set your white balance to “Shade” or “Cloudy,” otherwise you risk neutralizing the wonderful golden glow. AWB may make the colours cold in your image, 

White Balance in post processing

If you’re shooting RAW, the white balance is one of the few adjustments that you can completely change in post-processing without affecting the quality or sharpness of your image, something that’s not possible when we make other adjustments in post, like those related to exposure. So some people may argue that you should just “leave it on Auto”. But the advantage of setting the white balance even when shooting in Raw is that when you review your images on the back of the camera (or through the viewfinder)  you may notice some colours and tones that are subtle or the light may appear different through the camera with a different White Balance setting. Setting it in camera will really open your eyes to what is possible, but if it looks too much or the colours have rendered unrealistic hues and tones then you can always adjust it afterwards in post processing.

If you shoot in Jpeg then you cannot change the white balance in post processing so therefore you need to get it right in camera. I always suggest shooting a few images on Auto WB and if the colours are not as you would like and do not show the warmth of the colours and tones that you are photographing then adjust the WB to Cloudy or Shade.

As a further extension of this read the article on Creative use of Exposure Compensation in Wildlife Photography

If you are interested in exploring this further or want to learn more about your camera and the best settings for wildlife photography then why not join me on a workshop or tour

There are heaps of tips and lots of advice available in my best selling book “The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Wildlife Photography” – Available on Amazon