Custom white balance setting

Custom white balance (CWB) setting for correct gray balance in the camera is a very powerful tool when being used correctly.

The problem is that white isn't always white when it comes to spectrophotometric definition. "Point the camera at a white surface and set CWB" just isn't enough for a photographer who wants to get it right. The problem is illustrated in the picture below.

There are three different white surfaces in the picture. From left to right: An old slightly yellowish backside of a Kodak 18% gray card. The white patch on QPcard 101. An envelope from the mail.

The camera always assumes the surface it is being pointed at when setting CWB is neutral. By pointing the camera at the left "white" surface, the whole picture becomes bluish. Many white papers are bluish, like the envelope to the right, which gives a warm tint to the picture.

In order to set CWB correctly it is necessary to point the camera at a perfectly neutral surface, like QPcard 101.

The numbers in the picture are L*a*b values measured in Adobe Photoshop. "L" is lightness, "a" is red or green, "b" is yellow or blue. 0 (zero) for a and b means neutral, with no tint of any color.

QPcard 201 x 2

QPcard 201 is a reference card with 27 different colors.

It is designed to be used with the software QPcolorsoft 501 that can be downloaded free on this site. The colors on the card are mixed separately from pigments and extremely fade resistant. Some of the colors are mixed to resemble the spectral response of colors in real life: Light skin (#18), Dark skin (#17), Sky blue (#25) and Forrest (#15). The seven neutral patches (#4?10) all have an almost straight spectral response. In practice this means the QPcard 201 can be used in almost any light condition with almost any camera, without suffering from metamerism.

The card is self-adhesive making it perfect to place on almost any surface in the subject. The size of the card is 142 x 40 mm (5.6 x 1.6 inch).

QPcard 101 v2 x 3

QPcard 101 is a reference card targeted for professional photographers

Qpcard 101 v2 is the new improved version of Qpcard 101. It has three patches with perfectly neutral dark gray, mid gray and white colors. The Cie L*a*b values are 35*0*0, 48*0*0 and 95*0*0. The spectral respons of the three colors is almost perfect straight, meaning there will be no problems with metamerism at all. The colors are extremely fade resistant. The main purpose with the card is to use the gray patch for neutral gray balancing of the image. The gray patch is reflecting 18 % of the light, making it useful also for exposure purposes. Since the white patch is free from fluorescent whitening agents, it is perfect for custom white balance setting of your camera before shooting. There is a millimeter reference scale on the card.

The card is self-adhesive making it perfect to place on almost any surface in the subject. The size of the card is 142 x 40 mm.

+ Sensor + provides flexibility, choice to photographers

Sensor+ represents some very unusual technology that is completely different from anything we have ever offered before or has ever been offered in our industry.


We now provide two solution families with the P 65+ as our only back in the Sensor+ family and the rest of our backs as part of the XPose+ family of solutions. Learn more about Sensor+ technology and what our two solution families offer by reading the Phase One

Capturing a better world

Solving some of the most pressing problems on a world scale needs a different way of thinking about each other and how we all fit. MYC4 is a micro banking group focused on Africa providing loans to those who would otherwise never get a chance. Jens Honoré was commissioned to document some of the incredible results for an exhibit to further publicize the MYC4 project.


Jens approached this project in a completely different way with surprising results. Read about why Jens chose medium format over a DSLR and see more of his results. This is a powerful discussion of how equipment changes the look of an image. Read the PDF article here.

Michael Furman - New perspectives

The photography of Michael Furman of Philadelphia, USA explores the influence of society on car design. The body of work reflects a very strong interaction between photographer, perspective, lighting, subject and the intent of the car's designer.



Michael takes crafstmanship capture very seriously sharing ideas and the philosophy that makes his work so successful. Read the PDF article here.

John DK - An evolution of art and business

Based in Barcelona, Spain, John DK makes working with the team a key part of how projects come together. John blends intuition about locations and a remarkable technique of capturing a car from before sunrise until after sunset for some incredibly original results.



This article also breaks the code of silence and give up some of the secrets to shooting cars. Read the PDF article here.

By professional photographer Valts Kleins, Latvia.

Valts Kleins has for more than 20 years been working as a broadsided photographer on the small Latvian market. By the eastern border of the Baltic Sea, the talented photographer is today amongst the very best



Valts tells us about working in the many various areas that opens on a small market, Packshots, portraits, fashion and much more – also the change to Phase One and Capture One.

Kim Kaiser amongst Pryor Mountain Wild Horses

Kim Kaiser is a many-sided nature photographer who takes authentic images and who takes the time to get the right shot. Read his colorful reportage from the Pryor Mountains, where wild horses live, love and fight.



As most quality minded photographers, Kim Kaiser is processing his images in Capture One and we’re proud to show our RAWNEWS-Readers images from the wild-wild west.

Capture One @ 4: The Icon Evolves

Featured photographer Nick Wilcox-Brown, England

Making changes to a popular application are never easy. There are always the few that will declare undying passion for the way things were and vociferously oppose any form of change.



Capture One version 4 represents a quantum leap forward for Phase One, both in terms of interface and processing technology.

Change is good and there is no question that the interface needed not only a freshen up, but to become truly cross platform like its younger competitors. As time passes, doubtless the new interface will grow on even the most hardened professionals.

Back to the roots - with digital

By Featured Photographer Thomas Martin, owner of Thomas Martin Photography, Germany.



After looking back on a 10 year + history of using digital backs professionally I can truly say that I am as comfortable shooting digital as I was shooting film.

Having tried many digital systems, I use exclusively the Capture One PRO Software and the P 25 digital back from Phase One. The flow and ease of the software and its high quality of images really convinced me.




The combination of the digital back and the software gives me the ability to utilize my creativity in ways that were unthinkable when I started 20 years ago.

With the new generation of digital backs, P 25 or P 45 there is only one answer to this question: I work traditionally with digital!

The digital back combines the possibilities of analog photography with
the advantages of digital photography. When it comes to the ever lasting critical question of color & contrast then in my opinion there is an advantage in using a digital back.

With Phase One there is no limit in my creativity using light.


Read the full article.

Love what you photograph

By professional photographer René Riis, Spektrum Studios, Denmark.

Success in Food & Drinks photography
I believe that you have to be passionate about what you photograph in order to be successful. You have to be able to be fascinated by and see the beauty in different kinds of food from an oyster to salami. Beside that of course, you have to master photographic techniques.

New image style
I use a cook and food stylist for larger assignments to get the right look. We have very few food stylists in Denmark. It is a limited market and the qualified stylists live abroad where the demand is bigger.

Food photography is a bit like fashion photography; the stylists are able to give the images the final touch that makes the difference. Clients and agencies often ask me to recommend a stylist. They each have individual styles, and that style has to match the assignment.

Equipment
I shoot with a Phase One P 20 digital back, using Capture One PRO. Besides that I use Adobe® Photoshop and once in a while I rent a Canon IDs MKII.

Capture One gives me a good overview, it quickly browses through images and I see it as an essential part of my equipment – it is my darkroom. It is crucial that all RAW files are converted to the best image quality. I get that with Capture One.

I use the feature called Styles a lot. It is really nice that you can see the style change immediately on all images. It is much easier to create a new look with the Styles function as inspiration.

Today digital development and improvements are moving unbelievably fast. Still, I cannot recall the last time I had problems with my equipment. It is essential for my work that my digital back is working 100% of the time, especially when I have clients in the studio!

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Capture One 3.7.6 includes a Live Preview feature.

Live Preview gives you instant feedback on your composition and any changes you make to this, when capturing images. With Live Preview you can speed up your work and capture the perfect images quickly, even if your camera is placed inaccessibly.

Live Preview currently supports Phase One's: P 45, P 30 and P 21 digital backs and will be an out-of-the-box feature with all the coming P+ digital backs.

With Capture One 3.7.6 we have also improved the support for Leica M8, Canon 400D/Rebel XTi; Nikon D80 and Sony α (alpha) DSLR-A100.

For specific improvements please refer to the release notes for Capture One.

Download Capture One 3.7.6 and release notes: http://www.phaseone.com/Content/Downloads.aspx