how to set white balance for street shooting?

[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?
Thanks,
Mike

[kirbinster]

Why not just set it to auto, shoot in raw, and then adjust as needed when you post process.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by kirbinster

Why not just set it to auto, shoot in raw, and then adjust as needed when you post process.

Bingo

(I've only set my WB manually a handful of times. Luckily it's easy stuff, but I've never seen the need. The AutoWB setting does a great job and I shoot RAW)

[mikeci]

Thanks for the info.
I just did a test since I posted the original question. Even though the test is not the same as when I would walk around I did find that the wb kept shifting when set on auto. I setup a shot using a pocket watch on a white sheet in indirect sunlite using a Nikon D700 w/ a Nikkor 105mm set on raw 14 bit. I first set the wb using a expodisc then took a number of bracketed shots. Tthe expodisc set the wb at 5000k.
Then I set the wb on auto took the same number of bracketed shots. When I checked the auto shots w/ Adobe bridge the wb shifted randomly from 4200k to 5300k in no set pattern. I payed attention that the indirect lite did not change while I was taking the auto pictures. Does anybody have a explanation for the shift?
thanks
Mike

[BryanC]

I don't have an answer for you but I'm going to follow the thread as I'm interested in learning about this, too. I do have a question, though. Looking at the shots side by side with the WB set to auto, is there a noticeable difference in color between them? Or, comparing a shot from when you set the WB to a shot with Wb on auto, is there a noticeable difference?

[mikeci]

Originally Posted by BryanC

I don't have an answer for you but I'm going to follow the thread as I'm interested in learning about this, too. I do have a question, though. Looking at the shots side by side with the WB set to auto, is there a noticeable difference in color between them? Or, comparing a shot from when you set the WB to a shot with Wb on auto, is there a noticeable difference?

To be honest there isn't much of a difference between shots because there isn't much color in the shot to begin with.(see images) Like I said the shot was a gold pocket watch, white face, black letters on a white background. if you wanted to check to see if there is a difference you would be best off using a X-Rite ColorChecker or something like that.
Mike

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by mikeci

Does anybody have a explanation for the shift?

Randomness of activity. The shot of the pocket watch used as reference is a stable, constant subject. The scene before the camera during street shooting isnt. There are bound to be changes, and clearly the WB setting is one of them

As indicated earlier by both myself and kirbinster: you can change the WB in post. If you know it's supposed to be 5000K, then just select all the images in your RAW editor and apply a constant WB to the photos as a group.

[mikeci]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

Randomness of activity. The shot of the pocket watch used as reference is a stable, constant subject. The scene before the camera during street shooting isnt. There are bound to be changes, and clearly the WB setting is one of them

As indicated earlier by both myself and kirbinster: you can change the WB in post. If you know it's supposed to be 5000K, then just select all the images in your RAW editor and apply a constant WB to the photos as a group.

OK presetting the wb in a controlled environment makes sense and doesn't make sense when the environment keeps changing but can you explain the randomness of the wb watch shot when I set the wb on auto? that was the question.
thanks
Mike

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by mikeci

OK presetting the wb in a controlled environment makes sense and doesn't make sense when the environment keeps changing but can you explain the randomness of the wb watch shot when I set the wb on auto? that was the question.
thanks
Mike

You misread my post.

the reason you have variance in your WB when using AutoWB is because the scene in front of you is changing. If you're in a studio, you set your white balance manually because you want it to be exactly the same each and every time: In the "wild", the scene is constantly changing so you dont want to be locked into a single WB setting.

Just having a yellow car or a blue car go through the scene can change the white balance either way.

[mikeci]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

You misread my post.

the reason you have variance in your WB when using AutoWB is because the scene in front of you is changing. If you're in a studio, you set your white balance manually because you want it to be exactly the same each and every time: In the "wild", the scene is constantly changing so you dont want to be locked into a single WB setting.

Just having a yellow car or a blue car go through the scene can change the white balance either way.

right, I got that. but in my post # 4 about the pocket watch the the scene never changes the wb keeps changing when set on auto even though nothing else does. this I don't understand. I humbly ask you to reread my #4 post and maybe explain why.
Thanks,
Mike