D60 help

[debd]

I just got my D60 in Dec, I am happy with it but I have not adjusted the white balance at all. I save my files in jpeg format. I adust my photos fo print with photoshop. I photography mainly babies and children. I have found that some of my photos are dark while some are blown out.. I use a light with umbrella/ about 3 feet from subject. Could any of you pros give me an idea of what i need to try to be more consistant. About the jpeg, should they be save as something else. Thanks ahead of time for your advice. Deb

[toycollector]

debd wrote:
I just got my D60 in Dec, I am happy with it but I have not adjusted the white balance at all. I save my files in jpeg format. I adust my photos fo print with photoshop. I photography mainly babies and children. I have found that some of my photos are dark while some are blown out.. I use a light with umbrella/ about 3 feet from subject. Could any of you pros give me an idea of what i need to try to be more consistant. About the jpeg, should they be save as something else. Thanks ahead of time for your advice. Deb

AWB works well in many situations. Technically, you should shoot something white, or a gray card in the same location as the babies with the flash/umbrellas. It doesn't have to take up the entire image but most of it.

- Select Custom WB on your D60 menu and it will want you to select a photo you have taken.
- Select the photo you took of a white or gray object.
- Set your white balance in your top LCD screen to custom.

You're set to go and your whites should be much closer now.

What settings do you use on your D60? I use ISO100, F8 and 1/125th in manual mode. Then I would compensate either by decreasing the shutter speed if the DOF was important or decrease the aperature setting (# value /opening it up more) if DOF could be tighter. Go the opposite direction if your pictures are too bright (seldom a problem with a D60 thought ;-))

[henkbos]

Why should in JPEG if you have RAW with all the possibilities to correct/change? I admit that it takes more time and processing power, but give it a go. I only do RAW , then process to TIFF.

Henk

[debd]

thanks to you both for your help. I usually shoot at 5.6 at 125. this is good for moving kids. I had a rebel before and I am trying to ajust to digital. With my light I usually do half power at 8 at 60. I learned photography using natural light, and much prefer it but dreary winter don't always cooperate. As for the jpeg issue, raw, I understand, uses so much more space and I may make as many as 100 images without downloading so I will just have to decide which way to go.

[gheumann]

You should be able to get good results using JPEG. Simply take a picture of the whitest thing you can find, lit exactly as your subjects will be lit. Then, using the "menu" button, choose "Custom WB" and choose that photo. Finally, set the camera's white balance to "custom wb".