Illumination is an art. It appears in the pictures of Ansel Adams, the cinematography of Haskell Wexler, and the paintings of Caravaggio. Without light there is no color, no shadow, no contrast and no art, no science, no plant life, no anything. Light fills the void and is the and is the fundamental building block of life, and hence art and culture. Light is a huge invention. Yet tons of folks take light for granted. The sun comes up and and they grumble ’cause the got to get out of bed. The glowing orb sets and the houselights come on. The house lights could be candles, incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lights, moon light or the glow of the television. The natural lighting of the sun, fluorescent lighting, and the glow of a light bulb all illuminate, but they are not the same. Different sources of light have a different color temperature. Artists, cinematographers and interior decorators are well informed of the color temperature of lights. They use them to great affect. Knowing about color temperature is an important skill for any artist or designer.
Color temperature is talked about in terms of hot and cold. The warmest temperatures run in the reddish hues, the coolest in the bluish hue. Average person on the street associate heat with color, thinking the hottest light source would produce the warmest colors. The opposite is true. Solar light has blue tones and a candle has red tones. A candle is perhaps the easiest way to understand this range of tones. The hottest part of the flame is the section nearest to the burning surface. This area of the fire is usually blue. The edge of the fire is yellow, orange and sometimes even a bit red. Color Temperature can also be illustrated in the passing of the sun. In the cooler hours of the day, the rising or setting sun is red, while the noon day sun beats down hot and blue. Our eyes see the daylight as white and therein exists the challenge in photography, cinematography and design.
The human eye operates like one of the best filters ever created. Whenever the eyelid opens, the eye and the brain work together to produce the interpretation of color tone. A room with white walls lit by tungsten lightbulbs will appear white. During the day the same wall will appear white. The human eye and the mind adjust. This is demonstrated when taking a photograph with the camera white balanced incorrectly. If it is white balanced for sunlight and the room is illuminated by tungsten light it will appear very yellow. If it is white balanced for tungsten bulbs and shot under sunlit conditions the picture will appear very blue.
Interior designers, photographers, filmmakers and painters all consider color temperature. The paint on the wall whatever color it is, will vary with the quality of light. A good designer considers the color of paint in tandem with the source of light. Different chromatic shades help create ambiance. Even when the untrained eye thinks it is looking at white, the body responds to different color tones.
Understanding color temperature is a great skill for anyone interested in art or home design.
