Make your photos pop with white balance!

In this video, you’re going to learn how to make your images vibrant without any expensive cameras or fancy color-correcting tools.

Watch the full video to get the best detail and color out of your photos. And at the end, I’ll show you a trick I use all the time — you won’t even need to color-calibrate your monitor.

We’ll start with the basics: what is white balance in photography? White balance is simply adjusting your photo to the natural colors of the sun and moon, so your images look the way we as humans are used to seeing them.

Tip #1: Match the time of day.
Morning light is bluish, midday is white, and evening light shifts warm and orange. Our eyes adjust instantly, but cameras don’t. That’s why you must tell your camera what light you’re photographing in so whites stay white and colors stay true.

Tip #2: Lock it at 5600K.
Most photographers change white balance settings constantly — I don’t. I lock mine at 5600K all the time. Why? Because I photograph in RAW. That means the white balance isn’t baked into the file, which gives me my God-given right to be an artist and change whatever I want. Photographing in RAW lets me adjust freely in post without losing quality.

Tip #3: Use white balance to shape mood.
This is where most people stop. But for me, white balance is one of the most powerful creative tools. Blue creates a calm, distant feeling. Orange adds warmth and energy. Tint is where the magic happens: green feels earthy and grounded, while magenta adds romance and elegance. These subtle moves completely change how your audience feels.

Tip #4: Blend opposite white balances for depth.
I often process the same photo twice — one warm and one cool — then blend them in Photoshop. I play with opacity and brush away the top layer in tiny increments until the balance feels right. Sometimes this takes days, even weeks, but the emotion and depth it creates are worth it.

Tip #5: My simple color balance setup.
I use an LG monitor that isn’t even color-calibrated. My large TV and DaVinci panel are for films, not photos. For photography, it’s just my monitor and my mouse. Once I finish, I export the image and check it across devices — my iPhone, iPad, laptop, even a friend’s computer. If it looks good on most screens, that’s enough.

Final Tip: The big reveal.
If you want your color accurate the way camera and calibration companies say it should be, here’s what I do. I open my image in Capture One, go to the temperature sliders, and line up the red, blue, and green histograms until most of it looks white. That’s it — job done. Accurate color without calibration.

Some people will be mad that I make white balance so inexpensive and so simple. But I’ve done this for fashion brands, magazines, and wildlife clients for decades. Nobody has ever told me the colors aren’t accurate.

If you take one thing from this video, let it be this: you are the artist, not the camera companies, and not the tool makers. Their gear is important as a baseline, but not for creating mood and feeling. That is your job.

So who cares if the tools say it’s too blue or too orange? It’s not their decision. It’s your canvas. It’s your decision how you want your clients to feel. For God’s sake, let’s practice our God-given right to be artists — not slaves to numbers and normalcy.

???? Subscribe here for more photography tutorials and creative techniques:
www.youtube.com/@EjazKhanPhotography

This Episode was recorded using the equipment listed below:
DISCLAIMER: As an Amazon associate, I may earn qualifying commissions.
Dji Osmo 3: https://amzn.to/3E0Y8Uf
Manfrotto MLL1300-BI LYKOS Bi-Color LED Light: https://amzn.to/42ahwIt
JOBY GorillaPod 3K Stand: https://amzn.to/42cYzoD
Aputure MC RGBWW On Camera Video Light: https://amzn.to/40fafVp
Micro SD Card Reader: https://amzn.to/3Syy2fr
Nitecore BlowerBaby BB2 USB-C Rechargeable Electronic Air Duster Blower for Camera: https://amzn.to/3YLmN74
EQUIPTMENT I USE:
Camera's:
Sony A1: https://bhpho.to/3GUgs2T
Sony A1 Mark 2: https://bhpho.to/3YQEx0R
Len's:
Sony 600mm F4: https://bhpho.to/3ZorbZR

Tripod: https://bhpho.to/3SFJJ40

Link to claim your PDF for 10 tips: https://ejazkhanphotography.com/photography-tutorials/


© Ejaz Khan Photography
#Wildlife Camera #Nature Animals Photo #Wildlife Outdoors Nature Education #tips Photography #tip and tricksPhoto #tipsPhoto #tricksPhoto #hacks #Photography settings #Camera settings