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Ben,
I think this shot will be a bit revealing to the value ... as we learn about its utility.
This shot is 9000 + 22 using the Expodisc
It is "spot on" @ neutral black and neutral white (signage, not paint).
Noting the 9000 +22 is the same as the overly warm RR sign ... I made the ASSUMPTION that they were being illuminated by the same light since they were facing the same direction. Apparently, they were not, as the amount of influence from height of building, trees, etc. had the courthouse with more direct, low blue (and nailed it), while the larger expanse of open sky for the RR sign was of a diff temp.
I've long suggested that color falls off similar as luminance (energy distribution).
If we are in studio and have a white background with cross-lighting set up with a warm gel on the left and a cool gel on the right, we'd see a gradient from L-R @ warm/neutral/cool. In that regard, there would be a point at which an ideal WB exists neutral, but choosing that point exactly might be a challenge. Our ambient studio is much like taking those two lights and perpetually re-adjusting them.
Your question @ validity of tool vs. just doing it in post ... akin to Doug's point @ his approach (which is what I have historically done also) ... is a well reasoned question.
I think the answer is in two parts.
A) In the image of the courthouse door/stairs, we see that the expodisc has performed as advertised. This is a jpg with no adjustment and the exposure and WB are quite good (the scene has its nuances also @ overhang vs. upstairs). We can also note the change in color with the change in luminance here again @ uneven lighting the deeper/higher under the overhang.
I will need to make no (technical) adjustments to this image, and can leave as is or go straight to artistic rendering, if desired.
B) Different color of light carries different amounts of energy, particular the variance between red channel vs. blue channel. The combination of WB and exposure are joined at the hip as we saw above in the TLC yellowish version of the courthouse (where I used the ED WB and the camera exposure value) and warrants that exposure consideration include color energy value.
I'd be very curious to see how the use of the ED performs with a red rose in sunlight. As you know that is a very challenging channel oriented shot that many cameras reflective metering systems fail to do well.
My choice of the oblique perspective on the courthouse images (4 set) at that late hour was indeed a torture test, and I think it very clearly shows the magnitude of the mixed lighting (luminance and WB) that we operate in. Quite simply, no single WB is going to present the courthouse as "white" on all surfaces at that time of day. From that, we have to make decisions about what it is that we are trying to achieve.
Ideally, I can shoot the courthouse with rock solid registration and compost it such that all parts (sky, grass, South sides, West sides, etc.) are rendered with similar balance rather than having a single image that compromises various areas based on a single temp.
The courthouse is essentially my mountain, in that it faces East and is backdropped by sunsets. A future shot of the courthouse will be very much akin to some of your efforts. For that, I will certainly be using the ED to assess the diff of luminance and color of the backlight vs. the frontlight (which may also include floodlights @ near twilight)
My perspective here is also that much like exposure ... the closer you get to proper exposure, the less adjustment (artifact inducing, etc.) you perform in post and subsequently retain a higher IQ. Much like the reason I prefer to shoot with no AA filter bodies (needs less sharpening applied in PP). From that, the closer we start our WB, the less we have to PP it. Note of course, that one must know what their objectives are @ push/pull a color toward neutral or toward mood/vibe/ambiance.
As Doug mentioned ... tools are just that. The degree to which we understand them and desire to apply them is inherently upon us to discern. I think this last courthouse door shot best illustrates the "common" utilization. However, when it comes to such uncommon and challenging scenarios as we project our objectives, we are going to have to learn to write our own book on how to put this tool to use to accomplish our individual and more challenging objectives ... i.e. don't throw the baby out with the bath water just yet.
Edited on Dec 13, 2014 at 11:48 AM · View previous versions
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