grey card alternatives?

I know that having a grey card is nice to get the proper WB, but what if you don't have one with you or forgot it in the other bag at home. What do you use to sub?

I used a white piece of paper but that didn't always yield good results and usually had a nagneta tint to some of the pics (dont know why).

What else do you use? Any thing around the house, in the car that you used as a "grey" card?

In Brian Petersons book Understanding Exposure, he offers a great tip. He reccommends taking a reading from a gray card in open sunlight at f/8. Then take one from the palm of your hand and it should be about +2/3
Do the same thing in open shade.
You need a gray card to intitially calibrate with the palm of your hand, but once you've done this you know what your plam is compared to 18% gray

4x4rock wrote in post #2638896
I know that having a grey card is nice to get the proper WB, but what if you don't have one with you or forgot it in the other bag at home. What do you use to sub?

I used a white piece of paper but that didn't always yield good results and usually had a nagneta tint to some of the pics (dont know why).

What else do you use? Any thing around the house, in the car that you used as a "grey" card?

4x4rock wrote in post #2638896
I used a white piece of paper but that didn't always yield good results and usually had a nagneta tint to some of the pics (dont know why).

that happens because all whites are not the same white. simplest example is think about all the different whites on the swatch collections for house paint in the hardware store. white paper is similar... all the bleaching that is done is to make paper that it bright white but not spectrally neutral. also, white is not the best color to get a WB reading because of the lack of color info, which is why a grey card is preferred.

also, and interestingly enough, not all gray cards are spectrally neutral. so thats something to watch out for.

i usually only photograph artwork and and some street photography. in the studio i use a gretag macbeth color checker chart for accurate color and WB. outside, i usually just set the camera to auto WB and it does a reasonable job.

you may want to do a search for a little thing called a WhiBal. its a spectrally neutral gray plastic card that also has a sticker with black and white reference points. i'm thinking of picking one up for myself.

snavlee wrote in post #2639140
In Brian Petersons book Understanding Exposure, he offers a great tip. He reccommends taking a reading from a gray card in open sunlight at f/8. Then take one from the palm of your hand and it should be about +2/3
Do the same thing in open shade.
You need a gray card to intitially calibrate with the palm of your hand, but once you've done this you know what your plam is compared to 18% gray

Which is perfectly acceptable for exposure, but the OP was asking about white balance. I keep a couple of white coffee filters in as ziplock my camera bag. It's easy to store, and if you put them over your lens (held in place with a rubber band), you can get a pretty good Custom WB that way.

Mark

I never remember to take a gray card with me, but I found a digital grey card download here. It seems to do a pretty good job after the fact if I didn't get it right in the camera.

You actually put the coffee filters OVER The lens hood? How do you get enough light to snap an image? Do you aim at the lights, straight ahead or down?

I was in a gym last night and put the coffee filters on the floor and shot them from about 2 ft away and it seems to have turned out ok but I'm anxious to hear about the proper technique!

Nic

nicshow wrote in post #2640158
You actually put the coffee filters OVER The lens hood? How do you get enough light to snap an image? Do you aim at the lights, straight ahead or down?

I was in a gym last night and put the coffee filters on the floor and shot them from about 2 ft away and it seems to have turned out ok but I'm anxious to hear about the proper technique!

Nic

You put the filters over the lens (without the hood - or with the hood if it's a short hood), and point it toward a primary light source or in the light under which you'll be shooting. You don't have to be pointed up, down or in any particular direction. You don't have to be in focus. As long as the filters are neutral color, you'll be fine.

Mark

And you meter for proper exposure?

nicshow wrote in post #2640521
And you meter for proper exposure?

Yes, but remember, when you meter the camera will make the white filter look 18% gray (that's what the meter is calibrated to do). What's important is that the filters are neutral in color so that when you set the Custom WB it will remove any color cast from your subsequent photos.

Mark

And do you need to be at the same ISO you will be shooting at? Slow shutter speed?

And the idea in putting it over the lens is to not allow any other color beside the 18% gray to be on the image when you set the CWB?

nicshow wrote in post #2640550
And do you need to be at the same ISO you will be shooting at? Slow shutter speed?

And the idea in putting it over the lens is to not allow any other color beside the 18% gray to be on the image when you set the CWB?

No, no, and not really.

For the CWB you only need to fill the center metering circle of the viewfinder with the neutral color (that's all the camera looks at in the subsequent image). It's just easy to slip the filters over the end of the lens and shoot.

Mark

Show an example. WB can't fix everything. Maybe spotty, mixed lighting? Or flourescent?

Gray Card…White Paper. What’s best?
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=58677

What should the histogram of a proper WB shot look like? I'm referring to the actual shot is the WB gray card, coffee filter, soda cup lid, snow, etc.
Thanks

As long as the shot isn't blown out, anything in the mid-range will work. https://photography-on-the.net ….php?p=487174&p​ostcount=5

BeccaNH wrote in post #2639867
I never remember to take a gray card with me, but I found a digital grey card download here. It seems to do a pretty good job after the fact if I didn't get it right in the camera.

becca... how do you find this action to work for you?