As I kept on playing with the Illuminati instruments incident and color light meter I'd been given a few weeks ago, I discovered that I love putting the color meter to the test. I am always in situations where colors in my camera can get a little crazy - whether I'm in a gym, outdoors or even in front of a white wall. In this article, I test different environments and lights, both with my camera's automatic white balance and the Illuminati's color meter. I also explain how to use the device to get a perfect read on color — every time. Unlike … [Read more...] about Fixing your white balance: The ultimate solution
color temperature
Illuminati reads light and color for perfectly exposed photographs
My name is Bryan Esler, and I have a confession. I’ve never used a handheld light meter. For me, light meters were old technology. They weren’t something that was necessary. I didn’t completely understand how to use them, what the benefits were and most importantly, it just seemed like “one more thing” to carry around with me on a shoot. Enter the Illuminati, a light meter designed for the smartphone age. But Illuminati takes it one step further, allowing you to also determine the correct color temperature level and chromaticity for your … [Read more...] about Illuminati reads light and color for perfectly exposed photographs
Quick Tip: Cool Your Winter Photos with the Kelvin Scale
When shooting winter landscapes, I often want to show the cold temperatures I'm fighting through in my photographs, by having a cooler white balance. Using the Kevin color temperature scale, the normal temperature is 5500, known as "Natural Daylight." But if I want to show just how cold it was when shooting this, I take it down to 4800, which brings a cooler temperature into the photograph. … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Cool Your Winter Photos with the Kelvin Scale
What You Need to Know about White Balance In Your Photos
Editor's Note: A special thanks to our partner Datacolor for helping us to bring more information about color calibration to you. White Balance is one of the most critical settings that we have to get our colors right, it is a core concept for every photographer to learn. Right up there with Exposure Theory and how to get swamp smell out of your truck upholstery (that might just be a “me” issue…). But, it is an often misunderstood concept, used incorrectly it can make your colors look strange, dull, or unreal. Fortunately, it is a setting … [Read more...] about What You Need to Know about White Balance In Your Photos
This Changes Everything, How to Accurately Meter Light-Flash-Color from Your Smartphone
The light meter in our camera's only read light bouncing off the subject. They can't read color or flash (unless it's from its own speedlight.) They also can't read light falling on the subject also know as "incident" measurement. Incident flash meters run from a low end of $200.00 to $750.00 for a pro version. Color meters are really pricey at $1700.00. Which brings me to a new incident meter that connects to iOS & Android smartphones via bluetooth. Introducing the Illuminati Meter Illuminati Instruments introduced a compact incident … [Read more...] about This Changes Everything, How to Accurately Meter Light-Flash-Color from Your Smartphone
Stories from the Set: Snowing in Florida with Mark Crislip
I travel across the country talking to some of the top photographers in the field to ask them to share their experiences while shooting on set. You'll soon learn that even season professionals encounter roadblocks during photo shoots. By staying calm under pressure they rely on their skills to overcome these obstacles to capture an amazing shot. Sit back, relax and enjoy a Story from the Set. Fashion photographer Mark Crislip shares how he uses shallow depth of field, color temperature, and fake snow to creates a winter effect--even in … [Read more...] about Stories from the Set: Snowing in Florida with Mark Crislip
