Added colored gels to your lighting can have a bigger change than you first expected. It's not quite the same as shooting with white lights, as there are a few additional factors you have to consider to get the optimal color you are looking for.
In this video, Pro EDU brings world-renowned photographer Jack Hicks to share what he has figured out to be the six fundamentals of gelled lighting. While you could simply use a light meter for your lights, this doesn't guarantee you are getting the best colors you may be looking for. Through these six fundamentals, Hicks shares how the positioning, modifiers, distances, and a few other changes can drastically change the richness of your color:
- Exposure
- Light contamination
- Light modifiers
- Angle of incidence
- Gel attachment
- The distance of colored gel to your subject
While the list of the fundamentals looks simple enough, you may be surprised how each one can play a role in the quality of the color. Ok, one of these fundamentals is more about using proper tape so it stays on the gel and doesn't leave a big mess in the end. For a better understanding, Hicks does demonstrate exactly how four of these fundamentals directly change the color of the light.
How many of you have tried to add color gels to your work and didn't achieve the results you were looking for?
