Use Manual White Balance for Colorful Underwater Pics
In a past newsletter I posted some tips on using the manual white balance with your digital camera to get much better colors in your underwater pictures. But here I also add my experience with using manual white balance with the auto magic filter to solve the problem of a red cast to the pictures in shallow waters. The result is excellent colors.
Loss of Color Underwater
Click here to learn more about why you lose color in underwater pictures. To fix that problem I don't use a flash. Instead I now use a combination of two techniques to get the colors you see in my pictures on this site, an auto magic filter and a manual white balance setting.
First, I love using the auto magic filter. It helps shift the colors back into what my eye sees underwater. The problem I had with it was that in shallow areas the pictures would often be very red (unusable at times - see the pictre at right). So my first solution to this problem was to make a custom filter that I could remove. That worked OK. But now I leave the filter inside and use the white balance adjustment method below to easily correct the red cast from the magic filter in shallow waters.
These tips only apply if you have a digital camera, that has a manual or custom white balance setting available (most do).
What is White Balance?
Well, basically a digital camera can adjust how it records colors (based on the color temperature). And as you know, underwater there is a strong shift toward blue because of the water. When making a manual white balance setting you basically point your camera at something that you see as white, or know should look white (or better, a neutral grey tone), and press a button. This tells your camera what white should look like in your picture. And then the camera will adjust all the colors it records based on that setting. The result if done right is that your camera will be adjusted so it does not take such blue pictures.
How To Set A Manual White Balance
First, read your camera instructions on setting a manual or custom white balance. Some better cameras allow you to set two or three different custom balances. Once you know how to do the basics, here is what you do in the water. Set your camera to make a manual white balance. Then point the center of your camera view finder at something white or more correctly, neutral grey. Sand works pretty good. Then on some cameras you push the shutter button (on other cameras you push another button). That is it. So long as you leave your camera set to this custom white balance setting, all your pictures will now be shifted in color. Check your screen after taking a picture with this setting and make sure it looks good.
Success Tips
- Try to set your adjusted white balance on a subject that is the same distance away underwater as the subject of your intended picture.
- Reset your white balance setting if your subject depth changes.
- Reset your white balance setting if the sun's angle on your subject changes significantly.
- Reset your white balance if you notice a change in quantity of light (because of clouds, or a lower sun).
- Look at your LCD screen after you adjust the white balance. If it does not look good, pick a different subject to take your white balance setting on.
Check out these picture examples to see the results of setting a white balance.
I used manual white balance adjustment along with my auto magic filter to get great color pictures on our most recent Florida trip.
Using Manual White Balance with Auto Magic Filter Above Water
Believe it or not I have taken some good colored pictures, above water, with my camera in it's underwater housing with the auto magic filter on, by using the manual white balance setting (the picture at right).
They are not perfect. The sky and clouds tend to be a little contrasty (not surprising if you have ever shot black and white film and used an orange filter).
This is handy when I am on a snorkel boat or a beach and don't want to take my camera out of it's housing for a picture.
What If You Don't Have A Manual or Custom White Balance Setting On Your Camera?
It is possible you won't have a manual setting. In that case you can try this. Your camera probably does have some different shotting modes, like daylight, indoors, overcast, and yes underwater. Try switching your camera through some of those and take some shots. Although automated, those do adjust your white balance. I have tried the underwater setting on a number of cameras without very good results though, compared to doing a manual white balance. But if that is all you have, give it a try. The tungsten light bulb setting may work with the auto magic filter because it is supposed to correct for orange colored light.
That's it. Practice setting your white balance on land before you get in the water. It becomes pretty easy, particularly if you pick a camera that makes it easy. Combine your white balance setting skills with an auto magic filter and you will get some great colors in your underwater pictures.
Share tips and experiences using white balance.
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