White balancing in mixed lighting conditions

Originally published Feb 29, 2008

Getting the right white balance is one of the challenges that we have to deal with when shooting a wedding. Video cameras like film do not compensate the way our eye-brain system does for differences in reddishness or bluishness of light. If we set the camera for daylight and move indoors, we end up with video which is excessively red. The same happens if we have the camera set for tungsten light and we move outdoors. The resulting video is too blue.

Professional video cameras have a variety of ways to set the white balance. We can use a preset (usually either tungsten or daylight), set the balance to a specific color temperature, or we can balance to a white card, letting the camera's electronics calibrate to a known standard. There is also an auto white balance in which case the camera makes an educated guess based on the light coming through the lens.

The problem that is often encountered is that the color temperature of the light that we are shooting in, may vary considerably with a single room. Take a church for example. There is daylight coming through windows, but they are often stained glass, thus coloring that light. There is also incandescent light from lamps inside the church. If we were shooting a movie we would light the interior so there is little variation in color temperature, using whatever Hollywood techniques are required to get it right. If you have ever seen a film being made, you know how much effort and special equipment is used to light a scene.

But wedding videographers don't have that luxury. We have to work with whatever available light there is. Particularly when filming a wedding ceremony, we don't want to use additional lighting. So what do we do? The bride might be coming down an aisle that is mostly lit by light coming through the windows. The altar area on the other hand might be largely incandescent lighting. Every situation will be different.

The first step is to analyze what you are dealing with. I usually eyeball the location. I decide first what the primary source of light will be in different parts of the room. I then decide how I will compensate.

Here are some ways to compensate for mixed lighting.

• Set the camera to one setting, either tungsten or daylight and leave it there. Then correct in post. While this has the advantage of setting the white balance to a known setting, it often requires considerable work in post to compensate, and the results will never be as good as if you had it right in the first place.
• Balance using a white card. This will give the the correct balance for the location where you are holding the white card. The problem is that it may not be correct for other parts of the room. Also if lighting changes you will have to set another white balance, not the easiest thing to do in the middle of a wedding ceremony. When I set white balance this way, I do it at the spot where most of the action is taking place, usually the altar.
• Use auto white balance. While modern cameras often do a good job with auto white balance, they can be fooled. It is like any other automatic setting, you are giving up a degree of control over your camera. That is not to say never use it. Many times using auto white balance will give you the best results in difficult lighting conditions. Just use caution and don't rely on it.
• Set the white balance manually to a certain color temperature. Not all cameras let you do this (you can't on a PD-170, but can on an A1). If you have the experience to know what setting to use and a good eye, this will often give you the best results. You can also change this setting on the fly as your subject moves from one area to another.

If you have a camera that allows you to preset multiple white balances, you can do this for different locations and switch between them as needed. As I mentioned, there is never one right way to white balance, you have to look at each situation individually.