Quantifying and Reducing Variability Part Two.

Studio lighting is a great unknown to many photographers in the Wedding world.   Color Temperature, UV coated Flash Tubes, Clear Flash Tubes, Ambient Light, Florescent Light, Incandescent Light, Reflectors, Power settings, Flash Duration, Umbrellas, and Soft-boxes, Camera F-Stop and Shutter Speed, all have an affect on the color balance of an image.   Daylight is approx 5500 Kelvin, as the kelvin temp drops, the light becomes warmer (yellow), as it increases, the light becomes cooler (blue).  Each of these light sources have a different color temperature.  Example, let’s say a Mono-light with a reflector has a color temperature of 5800 Kelvin at full power, that same mono-light at minimum power may now have a color temperature of 5100 Kelvin.  Take the reflector off and place a softbox and now the color temp could be as low as 4200 Kelvin.  If you where using all the same type of strobes with the same reflectors or soft-boxes at the same power, everything would look very similar, no problem.  Here is where it gets sticky!  Many times you may be mixing light sources to produce a particular effect in a photograph.  Daylight mixed with strobe can give you some interesting colors in your shadows and highlights.  Incandescent mixed with strobes can also cause issues.  It is what I like to call cross contamination.  Know your equipment.  When you use several types of light modifiers, have color correction filters on hand to fine tune your strobes for better color.  Take a look at Rosco for these filters.