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Film 'white balance' - what is the best way to control it?
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 9:13 pm    Post subject: Film 'white balance' - what is the best way to control it? Reply with quote

Hi, I have started to shoot a lot more film including more colour film and one thing I notice is how colour film captures the light temperature / tone very easily. With digital if I am using my Leica M9 and doing an evening portrait session I adjust the manual white balance in camera to get the 'correct' skin tones. If I shoot the same on film I would get blue tinge faces in the cool tone evening light.

If I use a flash you get a blue tint to the highlights (as with digital) captured on film.

My question is how did people control the film colour / white balance before the days of Lightroom and Photoshop? Were coloured filtered used with colour film to correct the colour temp? (such as a skyline filter?)

I can gel a flash with a CTO gel so that's easy but it is more when the available light is the 'wrong' colour?

Examples - green skin syndrome! https://flic.kr/p/fxS3fj - Tungsten yellow face! - https://flic.kr/p/dwaEU6

Thanks!
Matt


PostPosted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 10:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Color Correction Filters. Several companies made them, http://www.cokin-filters.com/creative/filters/correction/.

Phil


PostPosted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 6:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

PWhite214 wrote:
Color Correction Filters. Several companies made them, http://www.cokin-filters.com/creative/filters/correction/.

Phil


Thanks Phil. You never read much about people using these but I guess nowadays most people will correct if needed in post.

Cheers
Matt


PostPosted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 12:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

when trying to hard, I used to shoot a colour chart before the frame i wanted to take in the same light to give me a base and reference to correct from later later.

But yeah.. correct in post Razz


PostPosted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 10:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Correcting in post processing is great for digital files.

Similar steps are taken in the darkroom. Make a contract print with a basic filter pack, examine all the frames. Usually make a one or more new contract prints 'zeroing in' on a filter starting point. Then test prints of individual frames. Next would be full size prints, that need more color correction.

I still have a Kodak Color Print Viewing Filter Kit, helps with determining final corrections.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-Of-Various-Filter-Kits-Kodak-Ilford-/201189428540?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item2ed7d30d3c

Phil