How to Use a Gray Card for Portrait Photography

To capture ideal color in your images, it is wise to calculate white balance before your shoot. Gray cards are a simple way to set your camera up for capturing the best color by providing a color reference for the camera. Gray cards pick up the color of the light in the shooting environment without bias, allowing the camera to properly adjust to it. Using a gray card to balance images is simple and only takes a few minutes.

Instructions

1

Set your camera to shoot in the RAW format if possible.

2

Set up your lights and model to your preferences.

3

Hand the gray card to your portrait model and have her hold the gray card close to her body and facing the camera.

4

Zoom into the gray card with your lens so that it takes up all of the frame.

5

Press the shutter release on your camera to take a photo.

6

Use your gray card shot to set the custom white balance. Press the "Menu" button and scroll to the "White Balance" menu. Select the "Custom WB" option, and the camera will direct you to your memory card's photo collection. Scroll through until you reach the gray card and select it. For the rest of your shoot, your camera will be set to make the most realistic-looking color.

---

To capture ideal color in your images, it is wise to calculate white balance before your shoot. Gray cards are a simple way to set your camera up for capturing the best color by providing a color reference for the camera. Gray cards pick up the color of the light in the shooting environment without bias, allowing the camera to properly adjust to it. Using a gray card to balance images is simple and only takes a few minutes.

Instructions

1

Set your camera to shoot in the RAW format if possible.

2

Set up your lights and model to your preferences.

3

Hand the gray card to your portrait model and have her hold the gray card close to her body and facing the camera.

4

Zoom into the gray card with your lens so that it takes up all of the frame.

5

Press the shutter release on your camera to take a photo.

6

Use your gray card shot to set the custom white balance. Press the "Menu" button and scroll to the "White Balance" menu. Select the "Custom WB" option, and the camera will direct you to your memory card's photo collection. Scroll through until you reach the gray card and select it. For the rest of your shoot, your camera will be set to make the most realistic-looking color.

---

• 
  

  Realistic Portrait Art: How to draw in Prismacolor colored pencils ...

  www.howarddavidjohnson.com/pencil.htm

  realistic Art Gallery,Portrait Lessons: how to draw photo realistic colored pencil portraits.

• 
  

  Digital Cameras - How To Information Page 1 eHow

  www.ehow.com Electronics Cameras

  Use WB button to select white balance preset. Learn how to adjust white balance with Canon EOS 40D Digital SLR camera in this free Canon photography lesson.

• 
  

  Photo Recipes Live with Scott Kelby: How to Use Natural Light ...

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSkAOXW3rGo

  In this video tutorial, Scott Kelby, author of many best selling books on digital photography, will teach you how to compose a professional looking ...

• 
  

  Art Photography - How To Information Page 1 eHow

  www.ehow.com Arts & Entertainment Art

  Don't just sit there scratching your head, find useful info on Art Photography on eHow. Get essential tips and learn more about everything from How to Shoot a Raw ...

• 
  

  How to Make An Inexpensive Light Tent DIY

  www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-make-a-inexpens

  The following tutorial on constructing an Inexpensive Light Tent was Submitted by Jeffrey Bail over at our Forums. I thought it was well worth highlighting here on ...

• 
  

  How to Become a Model - Get Tips for Becoming a Model

  www.bobpardue.com

  Gallery of works from this photographer specializing in bridal, glamour, and model portfolios. Based in Lancaster, SC.

• 
  

  how to use a grey card - YouTube

  www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCCYszvIDCM

  quick photoshop or lightroom tutorial on using a grey card to set white balance. see the original post on my blog at http://philbphoto.blogspot.com/2011/0...

• 
  

  COLOR BALANCING DIGITAL IMAGES WITH A GREY CARD

  www.digitalartsphotography.com/instructions.htm

  Correcting the color of digital photos using a grey card.

• 
  

  How to Paint a Portrait in Oil Part 1

  willkempartschool.com/how-to-paint-a-portrait-in-oil

  How to paint a black & white portrait in Oils Have you been practising your drawing for years yet making the jump to paint always seems to end in an underwhelming finish?

• 
  

  How to bypass the Portrait Mode on Your Digital Camera and Get ...

  digital-photography-school.com/how-to-bypass-the-portrait-mode-on...

  Should I use my cameras Portrait mode when shooting Portraits or would I be better off manually setting my camera up? Unless you have a high end DSLR, most digital ...