Why do my photos have that colour cast?

As someone who lives and breathes photography, I have to admit that I’m always looking at the quality of the light around me; its sources, intensity and colour- that’s right, colour! Did you know that natural light presents as a spectrum of different wavelengths, most not visible to our human eyes?

Throw open the curtains one dull mid-winter morning and you’ll be immersed in blue tinged light, (watch the latest ‘Girl with a Dragon Tattoo’ movie, to see that gorgeously atmospheric  North Swedish light- Daniel Craig’s not bad in it, too…. ). Close the curtains on a Summer sunset and the warmth of the yellow glow from the sun hits you. Sit in your living room, fire crackling, old fashioned tungsten bulbs blazing and illuminating the space, and you feel comforted by their warm, orange light. Go to the kitchen for a cuppa, switch on the fluorescent light and find yourself bathed in a harsh, greenish glow. ….. And all the time, we don’t notice, because our vision adapts to each tint and tone. But it’s there, if you look. And it shows in your images!

Cameras, however, can’t adapt so easily, and the very act of taking a photograph throws the composition into a state where we’re able to scrutinise it with more care, so you notice the alien tints and tones. 

Take a picture of your kids in the living room, for example: A couple of table lamps in the corner, your new LED reading light on the desk, curtains open on a North facing window…. No wonder your camera is confused and your kids look half Avatar character, half jaundiced plague victim! 

Bluish on the left, yellowish on the right- they wouldn't let me switch the lights off....

Yellow/orange/green/blue cast?

...and it was ALL yellow!

.... too blue.

Correct 'tungsten' white balance setting on camera- (note my funky Paul Smith sock bottom right....

Use a more neutral light, such as daylight, an LED light, or a halogen bulb, which all emit a ‘whiter’ light, or play with the ‘white balance’ setting on your camera to see which is closest to what you desire. Different cameras have different menus and buttons- if in doubt, get out the manual or go online!

Overcast day outside, happy photographer inside!(window light only)

I love- and prefer- using daylight when I photograph, (not sunlight- too harsh and intense!), whether it’s people or products, and I turn off all internal lighting, where possible, positioning my subject near the window or doorway and ‘bouncing’ light back into any shadows with anything that I can put my hands on, such as a sheet of white paper, fabric, etc. I like the more contrasty effect this gives, with stronger shadows giving the subject more depth and contrast. If the outside light is too strong, filter it through a translucent fabric such as a net curtain or cotton gauze. And remember that direct sunlight is very yellow, so try to work with indirect daylight.

If you wish, you can use your flash, but for me, it produces a flat image that doesn’t really do justice to the subject unless you spend lots of time experimenting with bouncing it off things first. Personal preference!

OK, there are other considerations that you should think about, too, such as positioning, depth of focus, angles and groupings, but they all depend on what kind of image you need and its purpose, Another blog post subject!

Whatever you do, please remember that digital photography costs nothing until you print, so play, play, play with that camera!

Paul Dale