Color temperature of light sources and how to mix them
Candles, bulbs, daylight and shade all have different colors. Learn the Kelvin scale and how to handle scenes with mixed light.
Photo by Jahanzeb Ahsan on Unsplash
Every light source has a color temperature, measured in Kelvin. Lower numbers are warmer and orange; higher numbers are cooler and blue. Our eyes adapt automatically, but cameras record the difference.
Common light sources
- Candles: around 1900K
- Warm household bulbs: 2700K to 3000K
- Halogen and tungsten: around 3200K
- Golden hour sun: 3500K to 4500K
- Midday sun and flash: about 5500K
- Overcast sky: 6500K
- Open shade: 7000K to 9000K
The problem of mixed light
A hotel lobby may combine blue daylight from windows, warm lamps and cool LED strips. No single white balance makes all of them neutral.
Solutions
- Turn off the sources you do not need.
- Gel your flash to match the dominant light.
- Choose which source should look neutral and let the others be warm or cool as atmosphere.
- In real estate, blend exposures or use local white balance adjustments in Lightroom.
A creative choice
Warm interior light against a blue twilight sky is one of the most attractive color contrasts in photography. Mixed light is not always a problem; sometimes it is the shot.
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Next: Golden hour photography: how to make the most of warm, soft light
