Sodium lights, what white balance?

admirable

admirable

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Jim
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Just as the title says,

I was at an indoor event yesterday and all the togs were complaining about the sodium lighting and what white balance to use?
 
Variable, but usually around 2700K
 
Its really quite difficult, sodium lighting will never light the complete spectrum of colours, there will always be something missing, just have to make the best of a bad job.
 
Just to note, there are two main types of Sodium lighting. One is the street light that looks generaly "orange" in colour, and high pressure sodium that looks more "peachy white". The orange sodium has just a single spectra line hence no colour is seen. (look in a carpark at night where this lighting is used and try to see the colours of the cars). The peachy form of sodium has more spectrum and will allow more colour to be seen, but as mentioned by Garry, a low colour temperture is exhibited.
 
instamatic said:
Just to note, there are two main types of Sodium lighting. One is the street light that looks generaly "orange" in colour, and high pressure sodium that looks more "peachy white". The orange sodium has just a single spectra line hence no colour is seen. (look in a carpark at night where this lighting is used and try to see the colours of the cars). The peachy form of sodium has more spectrum and will allow more colour to be seen, but as mentioned by Garry, a low colour temperture is exhibited.
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Yes, it was the HPS that I had in mind. The street light type is a discontinuous spectrum light that really isn't suitable for colour photography/

This may be a contentious statement, but you can't really 'correct' colour temperature that low, not with an expodisk nor any other method, all you can do is to make it 'look' OK
 
Want to beat sodium lamps at their own game?

Shoot in monochrome. Otherwise you have a lot of lighting to do!
 
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