This probably seems like a no-brainer. If it’s sunny, select Day Light. If it’s overcast, choose the Cloudy setting. Those choices wouldn’t be wrong for those circumstances, but why limit yourself? Sometimes you can change the mood of the photo by selecting a white balance that doesn’t quite fit the light for the scene that you are shooting. Figure 7.4 is an example of a correct white balance. It was late afternoon and the sun was starting to move low in the sky, giving everything that warm afternoon glow. But what if I wanted to make the scene look like it was shot earlier in the day? Simple; I just changed the white balance to Tungsten, a much cooler setting (Figure 7.5).
You can select the most appropriate white balance for your shooting conditions by scrolling through the options in the Function menu; the LCD updates to preview each look as you select it. Even better, you can choose a custom setting that will let you dial in exactly the right look for your image.
Changing white balance settings
- Press the Function/Set button to activate the Function menu. The White Balance control is at the top of the list and automatically highlighted.
- Use the Control dial to select the white balance setting.
- Optionally make finer adjustments using the Front dial.
- Press the Function/Set button to lock in your change and resume shooting.
