Photography Gels - Have You Ever Gelled?

I mean, have you ever gelled up something in an effort to make it visually more exciting?

No, I don't want to see pictures of your brother-in-law's bucks party. I mean theatrical gels on light sources; not what you did to him before you handcuffed him to the park railings.

Whenever I could not think of a good thing to do in my studio, I reached for a gel. I have old Elinchrom monoblock flashes and a number of light modifying reflectors. They share two general sizes and I've made wooden or cardboard holders for the sheets. I got smart and made about four copies of each colour so that If I needed a flood of one colour it could be done from several heads.

Oh, the poor models who were gelled with turquoise and orange in hatchet lighting. It seemed exciting at the time but new has become naff very quickly. Yet I see it all the time on YouTube presentations. Sometimes I do not take in the thread of the show, as I am looking at the lighting.

Fortunately in my video old age I have opted for less gelling. The Bunnings LED specials I cobbled up fo steady lighting doesn't lend itself to the frames and I haven't made new ones. Most people talking on a screen about model aircraft kits do better when they don't look like something from " The Living Dead ".

You need not be horrific with gels. I d have a gentle peach that just raises the colour temperature enough to make people look warm. If they are sweaty at the same time no-one knows that you have fiddled with the lighting.

If I ever get into making reels for TockTick or Instaspam, I may reconsider. I still have a roll of ruby red that is restive.

Text by Richard Stein