Process: Setting WB?

Hey All,
I have a quick question. How do I set custom WB on a 30D using stobes? Do I take a picture of the greycard before setting off the strobes? I am a little confused on how to do this? Also do I have to use a meter before taking picture of the card? Thanks a bunch!

I see you have a flashmeter?

If so, meter from the position of the gray card and take the image at that exposure with the lighting set up you are going to use (whatever that may be, flash, sunlight, room light, etc). Absolutely perfect exposure is not necessary for the AWB process.

Then look at your camera manual and it will give you very precise advice on how to use that exposure as the basis for an AWB for that light setup.

Enjoy! Lon

It is safest to assume that other sources of light will also contribute to the final image. To that end, set up the gray card for your CWB shot so that it faces the camera and so that it will receive light from those other sources of light just as will the final subject. Ideally, the gray card will fill the frame, but does not need to be in focus.

Take the shot using whatever exposure is called for and set the WB to flash for this one shot. Follow your camera's procedures for registering this shot as a Custom White Balance shot.

When shooting the job, make sure that this particular CWB is chosen from the WB setup menu as your WB for the production shots.

You can test the efficacy of the entire process by using the gray card as the main subject in a test shot and verify that it comes out as neutral gray on the LCD monitor.