Colour background using flash gel

To change the colour of background walls using colour gel

On the background walls, can use bare flash with coloured gel, aim just a short distance away from wall. make sure the flash does not hit the subject else there would be unwanted shadows.

On subject, use flash with softbox. Dont place it too far from subject else the white light will spill to the background wall and thus diffusing the colour behind.

Note: Do not use diffusera such as umbrellas for the front fill light for subject. Use things like softbox or fire fly which have smaller fill area.

Creating sunset lighting during mid day

This technique is to create a feel as if the sunset light is hitting on ur subject and it's surrounding.

3 flash each covered with warm colour gel is required. put them together, facing your subject, and place them more then 5 meters away from your subject.

Dont forget to properly light fill the front of ur subject.

Gentle reminder for creating more dynamic photo using flying objects

For creating a more dynamic photo by flipping objects such as hair, tie, etc.

Take note of objects on the coser that can be flipped. Common examples are hair, cape, coat, tie. Get helpers to to flip or drop the objects just before you snap the photo. Do give the timing to helpers so that everyone can flip/drop together. Take note that objects tend to look better when they are falling.

For more tighter shots, it is easier for the helpers to jump away. But for wider shots, especially using wide angle lens, the best place for the helpers to jump is to the side of where the photographer is as illustrated in the picture below.

Most suitable time to use this technique is when you are outdoors or the subject is doing an action pose. If the photo is meant to show that the coser is in a confined area or being in a very static position, having the objects flying is NOT recommended as it will spoil the original meaning of the photo.

Gentle reminder during setting up for shooting with flash

For knowing whether to adjust cam setting or flash setting during shoot.

Take a sample shot first. 

If you need to light up/dim down the overall photo, change ur ISO/Shutterspeed/Aperture

If you need to light up/dim down only certain parts of your photo, adjust your flash accordingly

Need wider/narrower, move flash closer/nearer

Need stronger power, either set power on flash or move flash closer nearer. But if move flash, take note of the previous point.

Change shadow to other colours

The method changes the colour of the subject's shadow from black to the colour you want.

Place a bare flash with colour flash gel behind subject.

Best if use only 1 front fill light so that the shadow will be obvious. It is good to have the front flash to be able to disperse wide. (Use shoot through umbrella instead of soft box.)

The power of the front fill light should be higher then then bare flash behind the subject so that it can counter the excess colour created by the coloured flash to the surrounding leaving on the a coloured shadow.

Change overall colour while maintaining proper white balance on subject

This method lets u have the overall photo of a colour you want, while maintaining a white balance on the subject.

Use colour filter in front of lens. 

Take example, use red filter. Overall picture will become red. 

Use the a flash that can do focused light with the opposite light colour filter to hit on subject. From the colour chart below, we should use cyan. 

Red + Cyan will give you white. And therefore helps to adjust the colour balance of the subject back to white.

*Bonus: Put a white board infront of the subject to test the white balance.

*Focused light mentioned here refer to using softbox or firefly so that the light wont be too dispersed adn spread to the surrounding. Can try setting the flash to zoom in too.

The Beginning

Started this blog as a place for me to keep all the little COSPLAY photography techniques I learn here and there.

The techniques that I input here MAY BE WRONG. I just want to use the blog to keep a record of the things I learn.