Pro Photo Tips by Michael Bollino
Considering Color in Creative Intent
Ask any photographer about their favorite season, and you'll hear the same answer again and again: autumn. After a long, hot summer filled with a monotony of greens, fall’s arrival delivers a visual feast of vibrant colors to work with: reds, yellows, oranges, magentas, and more. Autumn's lower sun angle bathes forests and mountains in gentle, diffused light—perfect for photographing the season's spectacular foliage. Fall is simply an incredible time to be a photographer.
While it may be tempting to walk through this autumnal paradise with our camera’s white balance set to auto (AWB) there are some drawbacks. Fall scenes often feature a predominance of warm tones—particularly yellows, oranges, and reds —which can easily throw off a camera’s AWB, resulting in cooler, less natural-looking images. To avoid this, I prefer to take control by using my camera’s Kelvin setting to set white balance. While it’s true that photographing in RAW allows us to adjust white balance while post-processing our images, getting it right in camera is always best practice. That being said, “getting it right” in camera doesn’t always mean producing colors which perfectly match what we see in the field. The goal is to control color enough to be able to produce images which reflect our creative intent.
There are three general ways I approach fine tuning white balance for greater creative control while working in the field:
1. Enhancing warmth – I often intentionally use warmer Kelvin settings to amplify scenes with a naturally bright, energetic, or optimistic feel. I do pay special attention to shadow areas as I want them to remain neutral in order to avoid introducing an overly orange or yellow cast that appears unnatural or garish.
2. Cooling for mood – At times I may purposefully go for a cooler color temperature setting to create a quieter, calmer and introspective mood. This approach works particularly well during foggy, overcast, or shady conditions where cooler tones complement the already subdued lighting.
3. Color Separation – Many fall scenes include an abundance of both warm and cool colors. Picture golden aspen trees glowing against a brilliant blue sky. In this case I intentionally select a more balanced color temperature setting, one which strikes a happy middle ground between cool and warm tones. This acts to separate, bring forward, and strengthen the full range of the colors contained within the scene.
At the end of the day it’s all about achieving greater control so our images match our creative intent. Before adjusting your settings, ask yourself: What mood am I trying to convey? How can I use white balance to serve this vision? As with many aspects of photography a willingness to experiment—along with a strong sense of your own aesthetic preferences—will guide you toward the right answers.
