Colorful gyms…
November 02, 2007 - Word of Life’s Janna Kaupuiki goes up to try and block Seabury Hall’s Kaipo Rocha. This composite shows pre- and post-color and exposure correction. The image on the left is how it looks “right out of the box.” The image on the left has been corrected. Exposure details: Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f2.8 (at 200), Manual exposure, 1/320 sec at f/2.8, ISO 3200, Fluorescent white balance
I went to McKinley High gym last night to shoot the HHSAA Div. II girls volleyball match between Word of Life and Seabury Hall.
Most high school gyms are notoriously dark, but I had recollections of McKinley not being too bad. But when I walked in last night, it seemed darker than usual. I took a test shot at 1/400 sec. at 3200 ISO and it was dark. Way dark. Gloomy. Oh well, shoot at 1/320 and hope for the best. I was worried a bit about subject movement, but there was nothing I could do. At least with volleyball, the players kind of “hang” in the air for a split second, so I figured I could get a shot somewhere along the line.
Of course, 1/320 sec. was still underexposing, but nothing too awful. Canon cameras yield good files even if underexposed, and the noise isn’t too bad. In the above photo you can see what came out of the camera, and how I adjusted the exposure and color in the end product.
A tale of two rosters — These two images are right out the camera. The color cycling of the gym lights is painfully obvious. Exposure details: Canon EOS 1-D Mark II, EF 70-200mm f2.8 (at 150), Manual exposure, 1/250 sec at f/2.8, ISO 3200, Fluorescent white balance
The color of light in gyms are also hard to work with. When you walk in a gym, and look at the light, it appears to be a constant color and brightness. Alas, it’s not really that way. The lights are like fluorescent lights, and are actually flickering at a rate fast enough that you don’t notice it. And the color temperature is constantly changing.
As you can see in the above composite of rosters (which we shoot photos of to ID players later), sometimes the light is a true fluorescent balance, while other times it’s not.
I used to try and set a custom white balance, but that doesn’t make any difference since the color is constantly shifting. It’s a sad fact that some frames are just going to look weird.
I’m going back there again tonight, looking forward to wrestling with color and light.
November 3rd, 2007 at 10:36 pm
What is your post-processing workflow like (for example, white balance correction)? I bet you’re under crazy time constraints so I can’t imagine you having the luxury of spending an hour or more on an image.
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:06 pm
why not just shoot a white card and manually white balance. this will save you time, money and issues later. just my humble 2cents. you’re the master ! hehe !
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:08 pm
hey why don’t you use the custom white balance function.
this would save you a lot of trouble later.
but, you’re the master !
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:25 pm
A white card (or grey card) and custom white balance doesn’t work under these gym lights. They constantly change color. In other words, if I were to shoot a sample white card shot for the custom white, that particular frame would be only one possible color temperature out of many possible. If you look at my roster photo, you can see two of the colors that the gym lights produce (there are other hues, as well). Those photos were straight out of the camera.
The times I did do a custom white balance I ran into the same problems — some photos were okay color temperature-wise, while others were bizarre colors. I think I’ll try auto again and see if that works better.
November 3rd, 2007 at 11:26 pm
I’ll be posting a blog on this soon…
November 4th, 2007 at 12:50 am
Awesome topic Rich!!! Brian Dote’s post also brings up an important issue regarding our workflow–there is hardly, if at all, time to correct the images save for a crop and/or minor exposure correction. All of the correction involves the person working the photo desk to where we’re sending pictures–a crucial link in getting the picture to look the way it should. Bottom line: a properly white-balanced photo will yield a faster turnaround for the pages to be sent out for printing. But that fluorescent flicker is indeed a constant problem where ever there are sporting events at night.
November 4th, 2007 at 6:35 am
wow. thanks for sharing.
this is very interesting.
thank you !
November 4th, 2007 at 9:04 am
Thanks Richard — another interesting and informative installment. I’m really looking forward to your blog on image management. I’m curious what software you use (Aperture? Lightroom? iPhoto?), and whether you run all your RAW images (I assume you shoot everything in RAW) through Photoshop. Also wondering if only you adjust images or if the photo editor may do some of that too. Can’t wait to read this future blog.
Mahalo again.
Bill
November 5th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I love this blog! I always wondered why sometimes my custom white balance didn’t work. I thought something was wrong with my camera. I would just take the photo in auto and try to fix the color later. But now I know why…thanks!
November 18th, 2007 at 2:41 am
I just browse using Photoshop. And I shoot all my SB stuff on jpeg fine, or large, or whatever the largest jpeg setting is. Frankly, I don’t have the card space (or want to use it; not to mention the drive space) or time (for editing) to shoot RAW. Jpeg is plenty big for what we do right now.
I do minimal image adjustment (especially with color) and the photo desk does the rest since they have the calibrated monitors.