Canon EOS T2i and Setting White Balance Underwater

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rickeyf413

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Location
Baton Rouge, LA
# of dives
500 - 999
I have the T2i in a Sea&Sea housing and I have 1 Inon S2000 strobe, but I want to shoot some shallow water and some wide-angle shots just using natural light. I know exposure is important and I think I have the hang of that, but I'm not sure how to set the white balance underwater or should I just leave it on auto.

I resently shot some fairly close picture of pilot whales while in Hawaii and shot some shark photos while in Roatan but I felt there was too much of a blue tint. I was able to clean them up in Photoshop, but I'd rather do in camera if possible.

Any guidance anyone out there can provide would be greatly appreciated
 
Shoot in raw and adjust white balance later in Lightroom or some other raw converter. I always use auto on my 7D
Easy to get rid of the blue.
Bill
 
Thanks Bill for the advice that's how I've been handling those types of photos so far I just wasn't sure if which would be easier in camera or during post clean up.

Also I visited your website great photos. I'm curious about your black water photos and what equipment you used and what settings I made that dive this April with Big Island Divers. The dive was incredible but unfortunately my photos didn't come out like yours. My equipment - T2i, Sea& Sea Housing, 18-55mm lens, (1) Inon S2000, iTorch Video Pro 4 Focus/Video light, Auto Focus, and tried different Aperture/shutter seeting but all pictures either came out over exposed and/or blue background. I was unable to capture the beauty of the darkness and light show
 
Agreed. Just shoot in RAW. In RAW, WB doesn't matter anyway. All it does is "tag" the photo with whatever WB setting you choose (such as "cloudy" or "shade") but it doesn't change the photo. Set a proper WB during post with Lightroom.
 
Hey Guys,

Interesting topic. I have to respectfully disagree with the advice on balancing your photo's in post. Although this is an option, it should only be done as a last measure. Shooting a custom white balance "for the most part" should be done without the use of your strobes. We could get really deep into this here, but for now lets keep it simple.
To properly balance your T2i follow these very simple steps. You will need to carry a white slate.
1. Place the camera in full auto
2. Hold the slate at arms length directly in front of your lens.
3. MAKE SURE YOUR NATURAL LIGHT SOURCE IS DIRECTLY OVER YOUR SHOULDER AND COVERING THE SLATE
4. Shoot the slate
5. Put the camera in Manual mode
6. Select custom white balance
7. Select the image of the slate
8. Select "save as custom wb"

That's it. You will find this process more difficult the deeper you go. I may also be difficult to achieve a good balance on a dark or cloudy day.
I shoot a MarkII and Mark III Canon but the process is the same on all DSLR's. Use the same process to shoot video through your DSLR.

Here is an example of HD Video shot with a custom WB with no post or external lights.

Split Rock « iDive Global Locations
 
3. MAKE SURE YOUR NATURAL LIGHT SOURCE IS DIRECTLY OVER YOUR SHOULDER AND COVERING THE SLATE

And repeat Step 3 every time the light changes. Every time you go deeper. Or shallower. Or get in the shadow of a wall. Or go from a macro shot to a wide shot.

You've simplified the process, but doing this during a dive repeatedly really isn't feasible unless you're staying in the same spot the entire time.

Video isn't the same as still. With Video you need the WB to be as close as you can get it because it's difficult to adjust it properly in post. With still shots it's much easier in Lightroom.

-Charles
 
Your pictures will always look better if you do your work in camera and as little as possible in post.

In general I agree, but "always" is the wrong word. For example you can maximize your signal to noise ratio by intentionally overexposing when shooting and then adjusting down in post, thus improving shadow detail.

WB is something that can be adjusted losslessly in post (assuming raw capture) but it's only easy if there is a known neutral color in the raw (which underwater may necessitate shooing a white or gray card, at which point you might as well just set the WB).
 
1. Place the camera in full auto
2. Hold the slate at arms length directly in front of your lens.
3. MAKE SURE YOUR NATURAL LIGHT SOURCE IS DIRECTLY OVER YOUR SHOULDER AND COVERING THE SLATE
4. Shoot the slate
5. Put the camera in Manual mode
6. Select custom white balance
7. Select the image of the slate
8. Select "save as custom wb"

It literally takes seconds to properly balanc

Literally seconds? That process you listed above is at least 45 seconds to complete if you're good at it. I suppose this would work if your subject is a Scorpion Fish or something that doesn't really move much. Outside of that, you're going to miss a lot of shots setting WB manually.

I still fail to see how setting it in post is "bad." Again, it makes NO DIFFERENCE if you're shooting in RAW (and you should be). It's easier to set the WB in Lightroom if you can find a neutral gray in the shot and use the eyedropper but it really isn't necessary. I've used the sand on many occasions. It doesn't have to be a neutral gray to get it close. Brown will work. All you have to do is get it close and then tweak the sliders a little to get it where you like it.
 
Literally seconds? That process you listed above is at least 45 seconds to complete if you're good at it.

I've never used the T2i, but I'd be surprised it it took 45 seconds to meter WB.

I do indeed do it in literally seconds with my cameras (5D2 and 40D). They're always set to manual WB. I shoot something neutralish that fills the spot meter circle, I hit menu, and since I always leave the set white balance entry selected, I hit the set button and accept.

Granted, there's not always something in the correct lighting neutral to meter off of and no opportunity to set up a white card. In those cases, I just leave the previous setting and plan to fix in post. NBD.
 
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