1.5. Control the light
This is an important aspect to take into account. We can find very bright or dimly lit places, as well as natural or artificial light.
To control the light, there are two concepts to consider: white balance and exposure. Nowadays, cameras have automatic settings that allow you to adjust the white balance and exposure, although it can also be done manually.
- When it comes to white balance, you need to know what refers to colour temperature, and what is directly related to light. When you do white balance, you tell the camera what is white, so it adjusts the other colours based on that.
Normally, cameras have different default settings to choose from within the white balance, taking into account whether we are shooting in daylight, cloudy conditions or indoors. The most common ones are “Daylight”, “Tungsten”, “Fluorescent”, “Cloudy”, “Flash” or the automatic mode itself: “AWB” (Auto White Balance), which is recommended for beginners. When using the automatic option, the camera determines the colour of the light and makes the correction based on this predetermined calculation. Although it is not 100% accurate and reliable, it has been improved quite a lot in the latest digital camera models.
- Exposure is also an aspect to take into account, and consists of adjusting the amount of light the camera lets in. In video cameras, this is the iris (similar to the diaphragm in cameras).
There is also the “Gain” option, which allows the light signal to be electronically amplified when it is very low. The problem is that its use can generate a lot of image noise (grain).
Another element that can allow us to control what is overexposed (i.e. what is burning out the image) or underexposed (too dark) is the Zebra pattern, which allows us to test the image and see what is burnt out or which areas the light is not reaching so that we can correct it.
In any case, to avoid burnt or backlit images, it is advisable not to shoot directly into the light, but rather the light should come from behind or to the side of the object or subject in focus. If natural light is used, it is important to bear in mind that it can change unexpectedly, for example, depending on the weather (e.g. sudden cloud cover), so adjustments should be made to minimise its effect on image quality.
In the case of night images, we should keep It in mind that shooting at night is always more complicated, depending on the possibilities of the camera and our knowledge of how to set it correctly.
If you have little experience or knowledge, it is recommended that you use the automatic settings and avoid places that are too dark or night conditions.