Easy Color in Complex Lighting

Back in my about section I mentioned that my family roots go back to Jersey City (Hudson County), New Jersey. Recently I went back to the old neighborhood to visit St Anthony’s Church. My grandparents attended this church, my parents were married there and my father’s funeral mass was held here. It was the first time I’ve been inside in probably 35 years. As a child I remember it as a massive church with a very ornate altar.

These days I’m larger and the interior while ornate was much smaller than I remember it as. It was never the less a great photo opportunity thanks to “Walter” the maintenance supervisor who allowed me access at a time when the church was normally closed. Many of the lights have been converted to compact florescent bulbs so the lighting was challenging with an uneven mix of warmer incandescent and very “cold” compact florescent.  Obtaining the proper color calibration was greatly simplified using X-Rite’s Color Passport. This portable color chart allows you to easily create a custom color profile for your camera under virtually any lighting condition. Once you get back to your PC and the profile is created and saved to Adobe Photoshop and / or Lightroom, obtaining the right color and white balance setting is just a few clicks away. If you are serious about consistent color, check out Color Passport.

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