Color Meters
There are lots of methods for achieving good color balance and one tool makes the job easier and it is the color meter. These are of course, not cheap but can save you valuable time on the computer.
Auto White Balance (AWB) or Custom White Balance (CWB) are the two most popular so called “perfect solution”. But some photographers do not have a complete grasp on what good color is.
Back to the previously described scenario: you have a client that you are shooting architectural interiors and for example, are shooting the kitchen. There is a big green fluorescent fixture in the ceiling and a tungsten chandelier in the dining area right next to the kitchen that is spilling some amber light into the scene. Which color do you set the white balance to? AWB will average the mix of color and will do a good job but it does not fix color, it averages for the best common ground. CWB will provide very accurate color as well, but where do you measure your CWB, the kitchen or the dining area? This client is hiring you because you are a pro and will provide technically accurate color.
The value of a color meter is as important today as it ever has been despite all the digital tools available. It allows you to measure which light source is most dominant and then establish what is required to convert one source to another for even color balance throughout the scene.
All meters are not the same either! Minolta was the standard for years until Sony bought Minolta and dumped the meter. Gossen and Kenko makes meters as well, but these meters are designed for film. Sekonic is the only manufacturer that makes a meter designed for film and digital. It is the Pro Digi CR500. What’s the difference between film and digital? Digital settings in the Sekonic are calibrated to what the human eye sees while the meters for film are calibrated for film characteristics. The Sekonic has 4 color sensors, an extra red, while the other meters have 3 sensors.
If you apply a film meter reading to your digital camera the color will be off. If you apply a color meter designed for digital it will be much more accurate. Color meters are all about the light in front of the camera and are best used to measure all light sources. The way to think about it is you use the meter to measure all light sources and then find some common ground before converting those light sources to the same color, then using AWB or a CWB to perfect the color balance.
