how to set white balance for street shooting?

[RichardTaylor]

The lighting has changed between the two pics. Notice the shadows that are in the first pic but not in the second pic.

[OsmosisStudios]

The framing has changed slightly as well: you're closer, which means there'll be more of the "gold" in the scene.

[mikeci]

the 2 pics that I posted were over the coarse of about 30 min using different angles and distances. one was auto the other was preset I was trying to show bryanC that there wasn't a lot of color shift between the two pics. I think what am trying to get convey to you is; I took about 5 bracketed shots in succession on auto wb of the pocket watch when I looked at them in bridge they all had different wb numbers.very random didn't follow the bracketing or anything else that I can tell. the total time for the 5 shot was about 2 minutes. there was no change in the light. So I cant figure why the wb would randomly change with the five bracketed shots. Am I making sense yet? Cause sometimes I cant seem to get my point across.
Thanks,
Mike

[OsmosisStudios]

Your test is lacking some scientific precision that will make it a better test. Set the camera up on a tripod using a constant source of light, and take several shots without changing a thing. The WB will still change slightly: 250K and even 500K isn't a huge amount. It falls within the margin of error.

[RichardTaylor]

What was the lighting source?
EG: Flash, natural light, Incandescant, flouro?

[mikeci]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Your test is lacking some scientific precision that will make it a better test. Set the camera up on a tripod using a constant source of light, and take several shots without changing a thing. The WB will still change slightly: 250K and even 500K isn't a huge amount. It falls within the margin of error.

Thanks much for that answer. I never realized that the wb would shift from shot to shot I thought there was something wrong w/ the camera. I did use a tripod but I used indirect natural lite. the total variance was only 200k over the five shots.
thanks again,
Mike

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by mikeci

Thanks much for that answer. I never realized that the wb would shift from shot to shot I thought there was something wrong w/ the camera. I did use a tripod but I used indirect natural lite. the total variance was only 200k over the five shots.
thanks again,
Mike

You used a tripod and yet the scene changed? That's unlikely, or you have a terrible tripod.

[mikeci]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

You used a tripod and yet the scene changed? That's unlikely, or you have a terrible tripod.

As I said I changed angles and distances between the fixed and auto wb shots but not between auto shoots I also moved the watch between auto and fixed wb shots to try to get a better down angle. not very scientific but I got the answers that I needed from you, thanx. I am hoping to duplicate the experiment again when I get some time using a fixed artificial lite. but for now I'm satisfied w/ the small variance in the wb on auto. btw the tripod I use is a Manfrotto 458B NeoTec Pro w/ Manfrotto 808RC4 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head. the head is not the best I'm hoping to change it out before the spring, I used the mirror lockup and a remote trigger for all the shots

Mike

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by mikeci

I use is a Manfrotto 458B NeoTec Pro w/ Manfrotto 808RC4 3-Way Pan/Tilt Head. the head is not the best I'm hoping to change it out before the spring, I used the mirror lockup and a remote trigger for all the shots

Mike

This has nothing to do with it: we're judging colour not sharpness.
Whatever floats your boat. As I said, the variance youve seen is there, but is so minute as to make no difference, so who gives a damn? especially if you shoot RAW

[BryanC]

Taking these parts of your quotes, I'm now understanding what you were asking about:

Originally Posted by mikeci

I took about 5 bracketed shots in succession on auto wb of the pocket watch when I looked at them in bridge they all had different wb numbers.very random didn't follow the bracketing or anything else that I can tell. the total time for the 5 shot was about 2 minutes. there was no change in the light.

Originally Posted by mikeci

I never realized that the wb would shift from shot to shot I thought there was something wrong w/ the camera. I did use a the total variance was only 200k over the five shots.

I think your Auto WB is doing exactly what it's supposed to do. The WB presets, (Cloudy, Shade, different types of light, etc.) are more exact points on the scale. You are also able to set your WB to specific points along the scale between these presets. In Auto, the camera is choosing a point along this scale for you. It's tweaking itself because of subtle changes that might not be glaringly apparent to the eye. If the variance is so small and the images look the same, I would say it's doing it's job. So, going back to your original question:

Originally Posted by mikeci

Hi All,
It seems impractical to keep resetting the white balance if I'm roaming around street shooting in all different types of light should I bother to set it at the beginning of my stroll or not worry and leave it on auto?

I would agree with the 2 previous suggestions. Use Auto WB. I do a little street style stuff myself and understand the potential for all different types of lighting and conditions. I use Auto WB for that reason. It's something that I don't want to keep having to adjust manually. Certain days and locations can find you in sunny, cloudy or shady conditions in a matter of seconds from one to the other, or all three, and back again. Now, imagine at night, with all of the different types of light sources. I like shooting street scenes and candids at night in city type settings. There can be so many different types of light sources in a scene... (Incandescent, different fluorescent types, neon, mercury vapor, etc, etc...) I'm not sure, but I believe the Auto WB picks the dominant one and it's never been far off of what the scene looked like. I shoot in RAW, so if there ever has to be an adjustment made, I do it there. It's rarely the case, though. Bottom line, the WB is something that I don't have to worry about. I can concentrate on observing, composition, maybe catching some brief candid moment, etc. Good Luck!