Difference between color temperature and the light color...

[dtrayers]

I'm going to be shooting a dance recital and the lighting will be using colored gels.

My question is about white balance: I would assume that I should just set the camera to a tungsten color temperature (incandescent lights) and not bother with a custom white balance as the colored gels will make a neutral or white card colored anyway?

In other words, with a red gel a white shirt should appear reddish, regardless of the color temperature of the source. So I should either get a custom white balance of the uncolored light (I don't know if I'll be able to do this) or just assume that the light is incandescent and it'll be close enough.

Suggestions?

[Ferdinand]

In cases like that, there is really nothing much you can do, I would just leave it at AWB. But its just me :)

Regards,
Ferdinand

[stopbath]

A custom white balance off a lamp that's representative of them all, would be ideal.

The preset "should be good enough" in most cases but not all incadencent are equal. Some may burn with a different spectrum due to coatings and such.

Also consider if the spot lights may be of different spectrum than the floods... If they intend to use coloured gels on the floods, and leave the spots clear, concentrate on the flood and leave the floods where they lay...

[sdommin]

Your best bet would be to shoot in RAW, then you can experiment with the different white balance settings when you convert them. That being said, the auto white balance should be OK if you must shoot in JPG.

[dtrayers]

Thanks for the suggestions. Maybe I can get the person running the lights to just turn up the whites and I'll get a custom WB off that.