OnSet with Daniel Norton: Utilizing color gels to create color shadows in your portraits

 

 

With color gels, you can create a lot of interesting and vibrant portraits. It's a way for you to put your own spin on a traditional lighting setup and make images with powerful tones and moods. In the video below, photographer Daniel Norton shows how to create color shadows in your studio shots by mixing strobes with color gels and utilizing a single "clean" light.

Why mix in a light without a gel? When working with different color gels, you can create an unnatural look to a portrait subject, rendering their skin tone in an odd or unappealing way. For example, you likely wouldn't want to use a green gel on a light pointed at your subject, as that will result in a very unnatural skin tone. By using a clean light as your main light and the gel light(s) as secondary lighting, you can get a lot of color in shadows and on the background while keeping your subject appearing natural. To see more videos like the one below, head over to the OnSet playlist on Adorama's YouTube channel.

(Via Adorama)