An Advanced Five-Light Portrait Setup With Gels

It is important to work with one light at first so you can master all its fundamental properties and techniques, but once you feel comfortable with that, you can really expand your creativity by experimenting with more complex multi-light setups. This informative video tutorial will show you how a photographer created a challenging and eye-catching hair shot using five lights and gels.

Coming to you from Lindsay Adler Photography, this great video tutorial will show you how she created and shot a five-light hair shot with gels. As you will see, using so many lights is not just for the sake of being complicated; each has its own specific purpose, and Adler is very careful in considering the effects not only of each light individually but of their collective interactions. One thing I really appreciated was the choice to switch the sides of the gels between the face and the hair. This not only keeps the interesting color effect across the entire frame, but it also keeps the face and hair distinct and avoids them blending together, which is, of course, particularly crucial for this sort of image. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Adler. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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