Color Temperature in Photography

Color temperature is a characteristic of visible light. It provides a method of describing these characteristics and is measured in Kelvin (K). A light having higher color temperature will have more blue light or larger Kelvin value as compared to lower light, which has a smaller Kelvin value.
The relationship between color and Kelvin temperature is derived from heating a "blackbody radiator" (think of this as a piece of black metal) until it glows. The particular color seen at a specific temperature is the color temperature. When the blackbody is hot enough and begins to emit light, it is dull red. As more heat is applied, it glows yellow, and then white, and ultimately blue. The colors radiating from the blackbody are correlated to colors we are familiar with in our daily lives. The color emitted from a tungsten lamp in your living room is identical to the yellow-white glow when the blackbody radiator temperature is approximately 3200 degrees Kelvin. When the temperature rises to 5500 degrees, the quality of white light is identical to the color of the sun at midday. The bluish quality of twilight just before dark is similar to the color of the blackbody at about 12,000 degrees Kelvin.

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