Photo Information White Balance | White Balance |
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White balance is one of the important distinctions between digital photography and film photography. In digital photography, white balance is critical. It can make or break your picture as much as proper focus and lighting. The wrong setting can cast an ugly tint or cast to the image that distorts natural colors. Incorrect white balance can be very difficult, and sometimes impossible, to fix after the fact. Most people find green or red tinted skin tones quite unflattering. And dull, muddy skies and murky yellow whites don't do much for your digital prints. It's best to get the white balance right when taking the picture rather than tring to fix it later.
White light has different color casts according to the light source. A misty morning is a completely different color than an orange sunset, which is different again from a yellow light bulb. The naked eye doesn't see these differences because the human brain compensates for them. White looks white to humans in sunlight, under heavy clouds, or indoors — no matter if it's under incandescent or fluorescent lighting. But it's not the same for a digital camera! The camera picks up the differences in whites produced by different sources of light. Under incandescent light (which is an ordinary light bulb), white has a yellow or reddish cast. Under fluorescent light, white has a greenish cast. Daylight has a blue cast. A sunset has a strong orange cast. Just about every different lighting situation has a different lighting cast. Digital cameras need to be adjusted to the light source so that white appears white (not yellowish, reddish or greenish) and so that the other colors look accurate. This is called" white balance." Most digital cameras set the white balance automatically. Many cameras also allow you to set it semi-manually by choosing from several selections. The control is usually found in the menu, but could be a button on its own. But the automatic settings must be selected to work! One of the most common digital photography errors is picking up the camera and taking dozens of shots before realizing your camera is still on yesterday's or last week's settings, when the lighting was totally different. In my experience, seriously incorrect white balance can rarely be completely corrected by the average person. Sometimes, even professionals can't fix it. It ends up producing less than optimal digital picture prints. For natural, realistic colors, remember to set your white balance before taking the picture. |
White balance is much more important to digital photography than film photography because to digital cameras, white colors are NOT alike. Digital cameras pick up light like video cameras, rather than film cameras.| Canvas Printing |
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Printing on canvas is incredibly versatile and a great way to create a ready-to-hang image or artwork. Every canvas that we print is protected with a UV coated acrylic finish to guard the print from dust, moisture and fading. Do you want your canvas stretched on bars or non-stretched? Framed or unframed? Customize the work to make it truly your own. |
| Art of Photography |
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When families get together, both children and adults love to look through photograph albums. They enjoy seeing the childhood photos of older family members and compare themselves to ancestors who lived a hundred or more years ago. Photos are among the most important treasures of every family. They should not be faded and dull. They contain the smiles, tears and emotions of generations. The staff members at Hampton Photo Arts display excellence in the art of photography reproduction. They work with the highest quality materials. They know how to create family memories that will be just as beautiful one hundred years from now as they are today. |
Photography is an amazing art form. A photograph album is a catalogue of life's history as seen through the camera. People, animals, nature, holidays, celebrations and even disasters are captured instantly and recorded as part of history. It is through the powerful presentations of photography that we better understand the progression of time and life. Hampton Photo Arts has over twenty years of experience working with photographers as they seek to capture and preserve the history of families and communities.| Learning to Paint Watercolors |
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Watercolor is an easy, fun medium for creating art. Color theory, composition and design can be explored freely with watercolor paint, paper, and brushes. Several techniques may be used with watercolors for varying effects including painting wet on wet, wet on dry, layering washes, and more. Watercolor paper comes in cold press, hot press, and rough. Rough paper has the most texture, and its hills and valleys can result in interesting effects when paint is added. Hot press is the smoothest and has the finest texture. Cold press has a moderate amount of texture and is the paper most commonly chosen by watercolor artists. Watercolor paper comes in several weights ranging from 90 lb. to 300 lb. based on the pounds per ream of paper. Most artists prefer to use at least 140 lb. paper. Papers vary somewhat between manufacturers, so sampling different papers is advisable. Paper can be purchased in pads, in blocks or in large sheets. The large sheets are usually the most economical and can be torn into whatever size is desired. |