• Color cards in cameras are responsible for adjusting the color levels when photos are taken. The goal is an adequate representation of the vivid colors that were present at the time the photo was taken. Color cards are not perfect and many things can throw them off. Many families like to dress in the same color for pictures, but in reality this can cause the color card to overcompensate and create an alternate hue to the picture.
  
  

Dominant Colors

• Dominant colors in a scene can throw off the color card's ability to find the correct color balance. The color card will overcorrect for strong dominant colors that seem to have overtaken the scene. The problem can be quickly corrected by keeping a white card handy and using it to reset the camera's color card immediately before taking the picture of the scene. The problem of dominant colors can also arise when different light sources are shining on the subject of the photo and the camera itself. In this situation the color card isn't adjusting for the light that the subject of the photo is sitting in, instead it is adjusting for the light the camera is in. The result is a photo that is discolored.
  
  

White Balancing

• If the white balance setting is off in the programming of the color card, then the picture will have a blue or read hue to it. It is necessary for red, green and blue to be present to create white. When the dominant lighting of a scene or area changes drastically, the white setting of the camera color card will need to be reset. For example, taking pictures in direct sunlight will produce a different white balance setting than when taking pictures in a shadow. Also, as the light moves from afternoon to sunset the white balance will change dramatically and the white balance setting on the color card will likely be wrong.
  
  

Multiple Cameras

• Color balancing multiple cameras is extremely difficult since each camera has its own color card that is slightly different from the other cameras' cards. Even cards that are made by the same company will wind up producing slightly different color results due to different conditions that may have been present at the time the camera was manufactured. It is common to see a shift in the brightness and color or even in the sharpness of the picture from one camera to the next. The problem with trying to match the color cards of multiple cameras increases if the photos will be mixed together in a presentation.