Beyond gelling and adjusting White Balance for “corrective” purposes, don’t forget that gelling and modifying Color Temperature is also huge for creative purposes. Check out the video and article below to see how I did it!
CREATING “WOWSER” IMAGES
When you have mastered the technical parts of exposure and color correct photography, then you can move on to the artistic side of lighting. When you learn how to use Gels and Color Temperature for creative effects, you can shoot beautiful and stunning imagery that wouldn’t have been possible before.
THE SCENE
We’re shooting during sunset on the beach, and my test shot is at 4500K with no flash. As soon as I took the shot with a gelled flash, I realized that I wanted the blue background and the model’s blue bikini to pop and be a stronger color in the image.
THE CREATIVE SOLUTION
So I added a Gel on my flash and had my assistant stand to camera left with a silver reflector so I could bounce off of it. I also dialed down my Color Temperature to 3500K to allow the blue in the scene to become more dominant. Creatively modifying Color Temperature is a fantastic way to add extra dimension and interest into your images.
BEFORE 4500K NO FLASH
AFTER 3500K WITH GELLED FLASH
PRIMARY TIPS
- Don’t light the same subject with light sources of different colors
- Create a clear separation between light colors. Don’t allow different colors to bleed over one another
- Gelling reduces power
- Cover entire flash head with the gel
- Most commonly used gels for creative lighting are orange, red, and blue gels
- Gels can be stacked to further alter color
CONCLUSION
When you learn how to use Gels and Color Temperature creatively, it can yield “HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!” reactions from your clients. And as a photographer you can just tell them, “Maybe I’m born with it, maybe it’s Lighting 101,” then whip your hair and walk away.
CHAPTER GETTING OVER THE FEAR, HYPE, & MYTHS
- 1.1 Lighting 101 Trailer
- 1.2 Chapter 1 Intro
- 1.3 Why Just One On-Camera Flash
- 1.4 5 Reasons to Use Flash
- 1.5 4 Common Flash Myths
- 1.6 What Makes Flash Challenging
- 1.7 Chapter 1 Quiz: Getting over the Fear, Hype & Myths
CHAPTER 2: THE BASICS OF FLASH
- 2.1 Chapter 2 Intro
- 2.2 Flash-Strobe vs. Ambient-Constant Light
- 2.3 Flash vs. Ambient Light Exposure
- 2.4 Flash vs. Ambient Demo
- 2.5 Flash and Ambient Balancing For Natural Effect
- 2.6 Assignment: Balancing Flash & Ambient for Natural Effect
- 2.7 Flash and Ambient Balancing For Dramatic Effect
- 2.8 Chapter 2 Assignment 2: Balancing Flash & Ambient for Dramatic Effects
- 2.9 Flash and Ambient Balancing For Creative Effect
- 2.10 Assignment: Balancing Flash & Ambient Light for Creative Effects
- 2.11 Understanding Flash Duration
- 2.12 Chapter 2 Quix: The Basics of Flash
CHAPTER 3 UNDERSTANDING LIGHT
- 3.1 Chapter 3 Intro
- 3.2 5 Common Key Light Patterns
- 3.3 5 Common Key Light Patterns with Diffusion + Fill
- 3.4 5 Common Secondary Light Patterns
- 3.5 Balancing SEO with Workflow
- 3.6 Assignment: Flat Light Portrait
- 3.7 Assignment: Loop Lighting
- 3.8 Assignment: Butterfly Lighting
- 3.9 Assignment: Rembrandt Portrait
- 3.10 Assignment: Split Lighting
- 3.11 Light Qualities
- 3.12 The Inverse Square Law
- 3.13 Inverse Square Law in Practice
- 3.14 Corrective White Balance
- 3.15 Creative White Balance
- 3.16 Assignment: Creative White Balance
- 3.17 Chapter 3 Quiz: Understanding Light
CHAPTER 4: ON-CAMERA FLASH GEAR BASICS
- 4.1 Chapter 4 Intro
- 4.2 On Board vs. Hot Shoe Flash
- 4.3 Full Feature vs. Manual Flashes
- 4.4 TTL vs. Manual Control
- 4.5 TTL vs. Manual Recycle Times
- 4.6 Flash Power & Zoom
- 4.7 HSS vs. ND Filters
- 4.8 Assignment: HSS vs. ND
- 4.9 FCS vs. RCS
- 4.10 Chapter 4 Quiz: On-Camera Flash Gear Basics
Chapter 5: DIRECT FLASH DONE RIGHT
- 5.1 Chapter 5 Intro
- 4 Tips When You Must Use Direct Flash
- 5.3 Bare Bulbing Done Right
- 5.4. Assignment: Bare Bulb Flash Portraits
- 5.5. Grid Snooth + Direct Flash
- 5.6 Assignment: Grid/Snoot + Direct Flash Portrait
- 5.6 Assignment: Grid/Snoot + Direct Flash Portrait
- 5.7 Mini Beauty + Direct Flash
- 5.8 Ring + Direct Flash
- 5.9 Assignment: Direct Flash with Modifier
- 5.10 Understanding Modifiers
- 5.11 Understanding Modifiers
- 5.12 Direct Flash + Shutter Drags
- 5.13 Chapter 5 Assignment: Direct Flash + Shutter Drags
Chapter 6: STUDIO LIGHT? JUST BOUNCE IT!
- 6.1 Ambient vs. Direct Flash vs. Bounce Flash/a>
- 6.2 Chapter 6 Intro
- 6.3 Silver Bounce
- 6.4 Silver Bounce
- 6.5 SAssignment: Silver Bounce
- 6.6 Soft White Bounce
- 6.7 Assignment: Soft White Bounce
- 6.8 Overhead Bounce
- 6.9 Overhead Bounce + Fill
- 6.10 Assignment: Overhead Bounce
- 6.11 Event Bounce
- 6.12 Chapter 6 Quiz: Studio Light? Just Bounce it!
Chapter 7: MORE LIGHTS, REFINEMENT, & CREATIVITY
- 7.1 Chapter 7 Intro
- 7.2 Dramatic vs. Natural Light
- 7.3 Filling and Refining Existing Light
- 7.4 Multi-Point Light Setups
- 7.5 Assignment: Multi-Point Light Setups
- 7.6 Using Gels for Creative Effects vs. Corrective Effects
- 7.7 Using Gels for Creative Effects vs. Corrective Effects
- 7.8 Using Gels for Creative Effects vs. Corrective Effects
Chapter 8: CASE STUDIES
- 8.1 – Chapter 8 Intro
- 8.2 – Case Study 1 | Dramatic Sunset
- 8.3 – Case Study 2 | Desert Sunset
- 8.4 – Case Study 3 | Sinister Headshot
- 8.5 – Case Study 4 | Quick Lighting For Family Portraits
- 8.6 – Case Study 5 | Athlete Portraits
- 8.7 – Case Study 6 | Working Angles
- 8.8 – Case Study 7 | Drag + Composite
- 8.9 – Case Study 8 | Less is More
Chapter 9: BONUS CHAPTERS
- 9.1 Our Favorite Full-Feature Flashes
- 9.2 Our Favorite Manual Flashes
- 9.3 Our Favorite On-Camera Flash Modifiers
Total Course Run Time: 8H 17M 4S
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I tried this out this evening. I set wb to 10000k during golden hour. I then put a cheap full ctb gel on my speedlite. The background looks great but my subject still has strong blue skin tones. Any advice why skin is still blue?