When I look at pictures of specific daylilies on the data base I am amazed at how completely different some are from others of the same Lily, especially color. Is it difference in cameras, growing conditions, both or something else?

Probably a bit of both, Paul. There are definitely DLs who shift in appearance during the day and in weather and soil conditions.

I also find that I need to adjust the white balance in photos to get true colors

I find this really interesting, too! What I've noticed in my garden is that it depends a lot on the light and the time of day. I try to make sure my photos represent what I'm really seeing in the garden by tweaking the white balance if needed. Here are photos of Pink Piranha in the morning on a sunny day and in the evening on a cloudy day, taken three days apart. Big difference! I'm curious what others have to say about this.

Pink Piranha - sunny morning


Pink Piranha - cloudy evening

Perhaps there is value in having the differences presented on the data base because it gives a viewer information as to what night be expected.

I was very surprised to see the differences in color of registered daylilies shown in the database when I first got into daylilies. I have learned, some cameras do capture different colors differently than others, also having the wrong settings in the cameras are accountable for many of the differences... you can often see that with the blue foliage in the background. This shows up a lot on flowers that claim to be blue.
The lighting at different times of day is a major causes of the different color looks, even an hour can make a big difference. Recently I have noticed that the flower color seems to often be more faded and less vibrant late in the season compared to the bright colors of early spring.

Temperature makes a big difference, too.

Also, I find that I get truer colours if I take my photos when the plant is lightly shaded.

I try to only post photos that show what I am actually seeing, as well.

Some sellers have been known to increase the color saturation in their marketing materials versus reality. Even some of the official AHS pictures don't represent the stated color description. That's why the database pictures here are important' the more the better chance of seeing the "real" daylily.

Plus there are the so-called colour-changer daylilies (you can click on the images for larger pictures):

https://daylilies.org/daylily-...

I find there are more variations happen with purple, red and pink daylilies than yellow and white. Like Valerie and Larry said, temperature and time of day can cause color variations in the same daylily. Sometimes, planting in shade or sunny location can affect the daylily's color too.

So many reasons for the differences in the color of images already posted. I find early morning images in shade can lean toward blue while images taken in full sun mid day can look washed out. Evening images will pick up warmer tones with hints of yellow to light orange. "Blue" color can be very blue early morning in shade. As soon as the sun hits the bloom the blue turns toward purple.

First image is Point of Divergence with a "blue" eyed sdlg at 8:57am in shade.


Same two blooms in sun at 9:22am.


I always try to adjust the camera to show what I am seeing when taking images. Some dayliliy colors can be extremely difficult to capture no matter what you do. Another little hint for looking at images is to check the anthers. Anthers that are still closed were taken early morning.

The brand of the camera can make a difference as well. I shoot with both Canon and Nikon. Nikon has trouble with purple no matter the camera parameters...it always looks blue or just off a bit.

I had the same problem with my Nikon, like the colors shown with my Sony much better.