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, just a big fat empty void. Light splits the darkness and is the and is the fundamental building block of life, and hence art and culture. Light is a huge deal. Yet tons of folks take light for granted. The sun comes up and they can see just fine. The sun goes down and the streetlights come on. The house lights could be candles, incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lights, moon light or the glow of the television. The suns natural light, fluorescent lighting, and the glare of a bulb all illuminate, but they are not the same. Light has a color temperature. Artists, cinematographers and designers are well informed of the color temperature of lights. Proffesionals 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 warm and cool. The hottest 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 should create the warmest colors. The opposite is true. The sun has blue tones and a flame has red tones. A flame is perhaps the easiest way to visualize the difference in shades. The section of the flame that is hottest is the part closet to the burning surface. This part 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 witnessed in the daily passage of the sun. In the mornings and evenings, the rising or setting sun is red, while the midday sun shines down hot and blue. Our eyes see the daylight as white and that is the challenge in photography, cinematography and design.

The human eye works like one of the finest filters ever invented. In any given situation, 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. Under daylight the same wall will appear white. The ocular nerves and the brain adjust. This can easily be seen by taking a photograph with the camera adjusted to the wrong color temperature. If it is white balanced for sunlight and the room is lit by light bulbs it will appear very yellow. If it is white balanced for electric lights and shot under sunlit conditions the picture will appear very blue.

Cinematographers, artists and designers all take into account color temperature. The room paint whatever color it is, will change tone with various lights. A good designer considers the color of paint in tandem with the source of light. Colors help set a tone and a mood. Even when a person believes they are looking at white, the body responds to different color tones.

Knowing color temperature is a great skill for anyone interested in art or home design.