White Balance Question

[BLBJBranch]

Here's a noob question for ya...

Situation:
I'm setting up a small home portrait shoot in a room with just enough tungsten light to see by, with the main light coming from speedlights w/ umbrellas, using preset white balance.

Question:
How does the preset compensate for the flash? If I'm using tungsten light to see and set the PRE WB, then the flash fires off during the shot, is this going to work right?

I know I can use auto, and use software to correct, and can put a gray card in the picture to set the WB in post-production, but I ask to learn how the preset works when the flash is introduced after the WB setting.

Thanks.

[OsmosisStudios]

Set your white balance for the flashes, not the tungsten.

[BLBJBranch]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Set your white balance for the flashes, not the tungsten.

So the tungsten lights won't off color the picture because the WB isn't set correctly?

[OsmosisStudios]

If you're not using the tungsten lights as part of the exposure, then the camera lightly wont see it at all. Set a fast enough shutter speed and it wont matter.

[ttosifa]

I use custom white balance all the time on my D700 both with and without flash. What Osmosis says is exactly correct with MAYBE the caveat that you shoot manual. (I don't shoot any auto modes, but it seems to me that the camera might make exposure choices that could screw up the balance.) Also, it is VERY important that you get a correctly exposed "picture" of whatever you are using as your source of white. I use white foamcore. EDIT: Also be sure you are not standing in a place that blocks the light of the flash on your white source (personal experience).

Even at X-sync of 1/200 or 1/250 (my Alienbees sync at 1/200 with my Skyports) and the typical apertures I use, I can have the lights on full power without light contamination from the houselights. Having the lights brighter helps with focus.

One thing to be careful about, though, is the placement of the tungsten lights. Even though you won't get color contamination, you can get "specular highlight contamination" (a term I just made up). That is, you can get reflections of the tungsten lights in the eyes, jewelry, or on shiny products included in the shot (such as bottles, cans, etc.) If you find yourself with a weird yellow or red dot on something shiny, it might be a reflection of a tungsten light.

[BLBJBranch]

Thanks guys.