Post # 10, White Balance and Noise

Today I will touch on a subject that may be specific to photographers: white balance and noise.  White balance refers to the color of the light in which you are shooting; daylight, especially at noon, is usually white, but sunrise and sunset usually feature a warmer orange/red tone (as the sun is at a different angle in the sky, passing through a thicker atmosphere at that time). You can adjust your camera to take pictures with this warm tone.  At night, for example, I usually try to shoot in a blue tone (tungsten).  However, sometimes I forget to adjust my settings, so I have to edit my pictures later.

Another thing I want to discuss is noise.  My camera, a basic, entry-level DSLR has a noise-reduction feature for my higher ISO settings.  ISO, you may remember, is a level of the camera's sensitivity to light.  The higher the ISO, the more light it will pick up, so you can use a faster shutter speed (take less time to take a picture).  However, with this heightened sensitivity comes a price:  the pictures are usually "grainy", or pixelated.  Even though I have turned my noise-reduction setting on, I still notice some graininess.

Here is an example of both image noise and also daylight white balance.  Notice the color of the horizon; that is where I notice image noise and grain the most in this photo (but please ignore the pickup)!

Here are two photos: one shown as taken, and the other one edited to look more blue:

I do like the blue color of the sky, but editing it to this much blue may be too much, as I've lost some detail in the sky and also the rock formations.  I just wanted to show the difference white balance can make!