OneSixthFigures
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.
OneSixthFigures

An online community to discuss and share news about sixth-scale figures, with an emphasis on either custom or commercial articulated figures.


You are not connected. Please login or register

Using Colored Filters To Spice Up Your Photos

Go down  Message [Page 1 of 1]

ThePhotogsBlog

ThePhotogsBlog
Using Colored Filters To Spice Up Your Photos 47987793967_69bdd3c5ef_b20190602_0025-web by Gary  Menten, on Flickr

In real life, we are bombarded by light of all different colors.  This a reason I often describe shooting photos in my old reserve armory as a photographer's nightmare.  The overhead lights over the parade square are sodium type and have a greenish cast, the light coming in from the many windows is whatever color of daylight is going on at the moment, and then there are a bunch of incandescent lamps in a lot of places as well.  This being said, when shooting still photos of your action figures, using different colored filters is both easy and can add much interest and mood to the photo.  

Using Colored Filters To Spice Up Your Photos 47987853831_f0479fa0b9_b20190602_0029web by Gary  Menten, on Flickr

I will start off by saying that to shoot these three images, I used off-camera portable flash as my light sources, but you can do this with a variety of much less expensive lights as long as you have a tripod or something to steady your camera.  All three shots feature an orange light to camera right and a blue one to camera left.  The big advantage of using flash here, aside from how fast it is to make the exposure, is that the flash has a variable output which can be adjusted if one or the other is too powerful or weak in relation to the other.  You can achieve the same effects with hot lights but it's a bit more complicated.  The filters used were as follows.  The orange one is the one that comes with the Nikon portable flash, in this case both SB-700, which can be controlled remotely from the camera using the camera's (Nikon D800) popup up flash. It's normally used when to color balance a flash to incandescent light when shooting in a place where the dominant ambient light is incandescent (tungsten).  The camera is then set to balance for tungsten and since both ambient and flash are closely matched, the lighting looks the same, no matter what the source is. In this case however, I am leaving the camera itself balanced for daylight, so that the orange filter will render an orange light, which is the same color as firelight, or a muzzle flash, or an explosion at night.  

The other light to camera left was covered with a heat resistant blue gel, cut to fit the front of the flash and held in place with tape.  These gels are available at any pro photo retailer or supply house and are very inexpensive.  They come in a huge variety of colors.  They can be used to correct the ambient light and remove funny color casts, or they can be used as I am using here, for the opposite effect.  

Using Colored Filters To Spice Up Your Photos 47987804708_89f20d2905_z20190602_0038web by Gary  Menten, on Flickr


In all three photos I used a black foam core background and placed the orange light to the left front of the figure, pointing downwards.  The blue light was to the right rear of the figure in each photo, but in the first, it was bounced directly into the background to make it sort of blueish, in the second it was pointed at the figure and in the third, up at the ceiling.  This is where flash really pays off as you can adjust the power output of the flash very easily.  If doing this with hot lights, you either have to move the lights closer or farther away from  what every their point at, or use neutral density filters (also sold as gels) to reduce the amount of light output reaching the figure or background.  

If you find this inspiring but are not sure how to go about it using whatever lighting you have available, just feel free to ask me.  I'd be delighted to answer.

GubernatorFan

GubernatorFan
Founding Father
I am not sure these particular examples enhance realism, but they do serve to illustrate the potential of colored light in photography. Blackpool has posted some other interesting examples in his threads.


_________________
I'll be back!
https://onesixthfigures.forumotion.com

ThePhotogsBlog

ThePhotogsBlog
GubernatorFan wrote:I am not sure these particular examples enhance realism, but they do serve to illustrate the potential of colored light in photography. Blackpool has posted some other interesting examples in his threads.

In this particular case, they alter the reality of the location.

Peaches

Peaches
The second photo definitely makes me think she is looking into a desert sunset Very Happy First thing that came to my head, and I think it looks super cool Smile

Stryker2011

Stryker2011
Founding Father
Excellent tutorial, I wonder if it should be moved to that section so it doesn’t end up lost in the shuffle...


_________________
Mark

He who dies with the most toys wins!

Using Colored Filters To Spice Up Your Photos C8485110

ThePhotogsBlog

ThePhotogsBlog
Stryker2011 wrote:Excellent tutorial, I wonder if it should be moved to that section so it doesn’t end up lost in the shuffle...

You might be correct. I hadn't really thought of it as a tutorial, but I guess it is one

ReverendSpooky

ReverendSpooky
Love these shots. The harsh shadows really add a lot of drama. I usually do a lot of the coloring in post, but really should experiment more with gels while shooting. I actually picked up that cheap multicolor disk light pack Blackpool suggested and uses, and need to play around with it a bit. I'm going to get started on another photoshoot a little later today and maybe I'll try some new stuff out.


_________________
www.reverendspooky.com
http://reverendspooky.com

ThePhotogsBlog

ThePhotogsBlog
ReverendSpooky wrote:Love these shots.  The harsh shadows really add a lot of drama.  I usually do a lot of the coloring in post, but really should experiment more with gels while shooting.  I actually picked up that cheap multicolor disk light pack Blackpool suggested and uses, and need to play around with it a bit.  I'm going to get started on another photoshoot a little later today and maybe I'll try some new stuff out.

Thanks!

It's much easier to use gels in the shoot than it is to add colors in post production, so why make extra work for yourself? This is a question that's on the tip of every pro photographer's tongue. No reason not to apply it to hobbyists.

ReverendSpooky

ReverendSpooky
ThePhotogsBlog wrote:
ReverendSpooky wrote:Love these shots.  The harsh shadows really add a lot of drama.  I usually do a lot of the coloring in post, but really should experiment more with gels while shooting.  I actually picked up that cheap multicolor disk light pack Blackpool suggested and uses, and need to play around with it a bit.  I'm going to get started on another photoshoot a little later today and maybe I'll try some new stuff out.

Thanks!  

It's much easier to use gels in the shoot than it is to add colors in post production, so why make extra work for yourself?  This is a question that's on the tip of every pro photographer's tongue.  No reason not to apply it to hobbyists.  

I think I like the option to experiment in post. Plus, especially if I'm shooting outdoors, I'm relying a lot more on natural light, and then I'll tweek it afterwards to adjust the mood. But I could do more with the sharper contrast of shadows in my own work.


_________________
www.reverendspooky.com
http://reverendspooky.com

Sponsored content


Back to top  Message [Page 1 of 1]

Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum