Exercise 35 Tungsten and Fluorescent Lighting

There are two parts in this exercise. First of all, I need to find a place indoor that is lit by tungsten lamp with window, so that the exterior at dust is visible. I have to wait until the light level inside and outside are approximately equal, then I will take three photographs with white balance setting  of: auto, daylight, and tungsten.

I have to admit that this is such a weird exercise. I guess the final point is to say if you mix light source, you will never get the white balance right. Composition wise this is a weird one. I can't find anywhere near my windows that looks interesting, so I decide to just go for anything. The main difficulty is, actually the light level at my place is very dim. I have to wait forever to get the light level about right. To be honest, I still think it is slightly dimmer indoor.

This is from auto whitebalance. Notice that the vase is supposed to be white but it is not. The fence colour looks fine.

How about Tungsten whitebalance? Well, the vase looks white, but the fence is slightly on the blue side. 

Using daylight whitebalance, the fence will get closer to its original colour, but not the vase. Notice that this is very similar to the result we got using auto whitebalance.

The second part of the exercise, I have to find two different indoor places that is lit by fluorescent lamps and by CFL lamps, and take 2-3 exposures at each location with white balance set to auto, and fluorescent. 

The easiest way to find fluorescent lighting is in the office. This is my messy desk with stuff flying all over the place. In order not the add more lighting sources, I turned off the LCD monitor. Here is the one with fluorescent whitebalance.

This is with auto whitebalance.

If the desk is not a good reference, the paper on the left hand side is supposed to be white. Auto whitebalance gives very slightly yellow, but only very slightly. However, somehow I feel the auto whitebalance is more realistic to me. 

Now for the CFT. I have those light blub (or light tube) in my home. Again for easy reference, I am photographing something white.

This is the one with auto whitebalance.

This is with fluorescent whitebalance. So weird...

 I have to admit that it is much easier in the film world that there is indoor and outdoor film, but not seven different settings for all sort of whitebalances. Did we gain from the technology? Yes. Because now we have more tools in the toolbox to attack a problem. However, what we seem to have lost the tolerance for anything less than "perfect". Was the vase so white when I look at it? Sometime I feel that the "correct" whitebalance gives me a slightly surreal screen.