Why do fluorescent lights cause changing orange/white color casts at fast shutter speeds?
Asked 10/20/2010
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I photographed indoor martial arts under overhead fluorescent lighting and got inconsistent results from shot to shot: some frames look neutral, some have an orange cast, and some show different color across parts of the same image. These were burst shots taken within a second of each other at about 1/500s, f/2, ISO 800, with Auto White Balance.
Is this caused by fluorescent light flicker interacting with shutter speed? Why does it change color and brightness between frames, and what are the practical ways to avoid it when shooting indoor action?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
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Fluorescent lights can flicker at twice the frequency of the current feeding them, which implies an entire cycle of the flicker will take between 1/100 and 1/120 second. During each cycle the light's intensity and its color temperature can change. Thus, if you're using a shutter speed of 1/100 second or faster, you might observe exactly these phenomena: your photos make an interesting document of them, especially the bottom photo.
Details appear deep within a good Wikipedia article on fluorescent lamps under the heading "Flicker Problems". The article references "The Feral Photographer" blog which gives a brief (simplified) explanation from a digital photographer's perspective.
For sports photography indoors you need a short exposure time to freeze the action. Consider flash options if they are possible. Very short exposures (down to 1/4000 second typically) can be achieved with HSS flashes. To an extent you can adjust the color balance, especially when you're shooting RAW images, but that's going to be tricky during the color transition.
Originally by user1356. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1356
15y ago
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Yes. Fluorescent lights often flicker at twice the mains frequency (about 100Hz or 120Hz), and their brightness and color can shift during each cycle. At fast shutter speeds like 1/500s, your exposure may capture only part of that cycle, so consecutive frames can differ in brightness and white balance. With a focal-plane shutter, different parts of the frame may also be exposed at slightly different moments, which can cause one area of the image to look warmer or cooler than another.
To reduce it:
- Use shutter speeds that cover a full lighting cycle when possible, such as 1/100, 1/120, 1/50, or 1/60 depending on local mains frequency.
- For action, add flash if allowed; the short flash duration can freeze motion and lessen the effect of ambient flicker.
- Avoid relying on Auto WB for consistency under these lights; a fixed WB can make frames more uniform, though it won’t remove the flicker itself.
- If your camera offers anti-flicker shooting, enable it.
This is a common issue with fluorescent lighting, especially for indoor sports.
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