Section B
Color Counts

Elevator © Michael Penn. Courtesy of the artist.

One of the benefits of digital photography is that you can capture an image under any lighting situation with any color cast and it can be neutrally balanced or adjusted in whatever artistic way you see fit. With film, you could choose a balanced film and use gels, color temperature meters, and specific lights to get a neutral image, but now you can do it with the click of a button.

The trouble is, a lot of photographers out there don’t know why they should or how they can change the white balance in their cameras, and every image they shoot either ends up being slightly off or has an inherent color cast that they intend to “fix in post.” Either of these situations is not best for your photography. The best thing you can do for your images is to photograph correctly in camera and adjust the results to your taste later. If you never color correct any situation, chances are your images will be incorrect most of the time. If you expect that you can “fix it in post,” you are shortchanging yourself and your images. Getting it right in camera allows you the latitude and flexibility to manipulate your images during post-proc....