Color gels cover the bulb of a flash and lessen the effect.
When you use a flash to take a photograph, several issues can arise. The main issues that occur when you take a photograph with a flash include a bright spot, or whiting out, on the part of the image where the flash was most prominent, or color changes due to the shadowing and false light created when a flash goes off. By placing color gels over your flash, you can decrease the impact of the flash on the subject, eliminating spots and color variations.
Instructions
1. Cut all of the gels down to the size of your flash. Gels, usually crafted from light plastic, can be cut with standard scissors.
2. Select the gel color to use based on the light in the area in which you the flash is going to be used. Color gels come in three main colors--oranges, blues and greens--and in a variety of shades in each color. While finding the right color gel for a given situation takes practice, a few basic rules for selecting the proper color are: oranges for bright incandescent lights, blues for sunlight and shadowed outdoor spaces, such as cloudy days, and greens for fluorescent lights.
3. Attach the gel to your camera. You can attach a gel to your camera in a couple of different ways. Either tape the gel on the sides of the flash bulb with a tape that’s easy to pull back off, like electrical tape or masking tape, or get a speed strap and use the Velcro patches that you get with your gels (see Tips).
4. Take photos as normal. Once the gel has been attached to your flash, it won’t interfere in your photograph in any way other than to change the hue of the flash.
Tags: your flash, Color gels, flash Gels, take photograph, your camera