White is Difficult to Describe

Canon EOS 60D, Canon EF50mm F1.4 USM (50mm, f/1.4, 1/400 sec, ISO-100)

Among all the colors of photography objects, I find white color the most difficult to describe. If you try to get an image with more light, it leads to blown out highlights in the white objects. But if you take less light into your image, the whole impression of the photo gets dark like the one above.

Canon EOS 60D, Canon EF50mm F1.4 USM (50mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO-100)

Is there any good way to describe white color? It seems like I need a lot of considerations and practice.