White Balance, Of Course. Duh!

My "first shot", you know, going for the "RIGHT EXPOSURE", like I do EVERY time!

YIKES!

FINAL ANSWER!

Whew! It never dawned on me ... Until I saw my first results on the back of my camera, that is!

BAM!

It "looked good to me", ahh, with the "naked eye", that is!

See, camera meters "see lights", very differently than our own eyes (and brains) do.

And of course, I KNEW all that, after all, I was a college photography instructor.

Duh?

But the first time I came across the "new" (back then!) statue of MLK, there in our Nation's Capital, I couldn't tell what type of lights they had out there, and yeah, like I said, it looked "fine" to me.

Then I checked my FIRST shot!

No.

But in fact, as far as THE EXPOSURE goes, yeah, pretty good ...

This is what my camera gave me ... Not, ahh, BAD, but yeah, that "KOLOR" threw me for a loop!

Remember, I shoot, ahh, EVERYTHING, in CLOUDY White Balance, you know me, I like my WARM, sun-drenched, colors, that's what I do!

Have since back in THE OLD DAYS, when I used "WARMING FILTERS" when shooting my 35mm Fujichrome 100 slide film ... You know, "back in the good 'ol days" that, yeah, were VERY different than now-a-days!

And not so, ahh, "GOOD", in many ways ... I giggle just thinking about it!

So there I was in D.C., once they got the new, MLK Memorial set up in 2011 ... And yes, I'll admit it, I started at the Lincoln Memorial, you know, like I ALWAYS do. And shot it the way I "ALWAYS" did. Right after sunset, you know, to keep a little COLOR in the sky ... It was all good.

And then, I made my way over to the "NEW" MLK statue ... It was "so close". But yeah, I didn't get there until it got just a wee-bit darker (I like to shoot, what can I say?) ...

That was when I first looked at my screen ... YIKES!

NOPE.

That first shot really "caught my attention", that was for sure!

I just laughed.

Say what? Talk about "sun drenched"!

I KNEW what it was, right off the bat!

I then just changed to "AUTO White-Balance", and went on shooting!

SIMPLE.

I just giggled ... And went on my way!

You know, AFTER, "Getting My Shot", the way I "saw it in my head" while walking up to the statue!

Ahh, BLACK and WHITE, period!

Perfect.

And yes, if I remember it right, or not, I first changed it to "AUTO", but still tried a few other options, you know, just because they were "offered", and I could!

I mean, come on!

I was waiting for it to get, you know, BLACK outside, so yeah, I "PLAYED"!

Say it with me ... SHOOT, ADJUST, SHOOT, ADJUST, SHOOT, ADJUST!

And yes! That works with WHITE-BALANCE as well.

Try it, you just might like it!

Oh yeah, I KNEW what I wanted ... Just had to "work at it", you know, if "pushing little buttons. and spinning little dials" is your idea of, ahh, "WORK", that is!

I'm always just glad someone much smarter than I am, figured all this "STUFF" out before I came around!

Could you imagine?

Lord help us!

I just did what I ALWAYS do, and yeah, just GIGGLED, "Pushed a few Buttons", then just walked away, happy as a "Pig Eatin' Poop"!

WHITE-BALANCE.

Who knew?

Like, ahh, "built in colored filters" for every situation! Perfect.

Good luck with that.

But I hope this clears up that whole, "TUNGSTEN LIGHT" thingy you just might run into at any given situation ... Or was it, those "other", ahh, MERCURY VAPOR LIGHT thingies?

As you can probably tell, I'm clueless!

Just keep it in mind, if, and when, you ever happen to be in Washington, DC, and come across the "new", Martin Luther King Memorial, that isn't that NEW anymore! Well, unless YOU haven't seen it, and photographed it yet, that is!

Or any time you get some weird looking "KOLOR", when you least expect it! Most cameras have a whole set of WHITE-BALANCING "Choices" to help you out!

And yes! I know what you are thinking ... I hope!

Sometimes, the, ahh, "WRONG WHITE-BALANCE", just might be the one YOU enjoy better!

Afterall, ahh, photographers are "artists" too! Which means, yeah!

NO RULES!

And you know me!

That means, ahh ... PLAY, PLAY, PLAY!

Just keep it in mind.

You, like me, I'm sure, ahh, NEVER REALLY KNOW!

Lights look like, you know, regular "LIGHTS" to our eyes, and brains ...

GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!

Now, get out there, and see what SURPRISE you just might come across out there!

Just enjoy the journey!

I know I have.

WHITE-BALANCE, who knew?

There is ALWAYS something, it seems!

Just remember to GIGGLE!