Creative 52: Weekly Projects to Invigorate Your Photography Portfolio

Challenge 31. Use a Gel

Description

Using gels in your images allows you to interject color as a visual tool. Gels can add vibrant colors that dominate your image or subtle tones in the shadows that communicate a mood. But be sure that the color serves a visual role—gels can be beautiful and elegant, but they can also come across as gimmicky. If the gels aren’t being used to communicate a mood or a purposeful color palette, they can look like they were used to simply make a boring photograph more interesting. Your gel should be an important element of the scene without looking random or like an afterthought.

Inspiration

Gels are frequently used to set a mood by lighting the shadows and setting undertones. Director Anthony Mandler (who directed ...