This $12 Gel Completely Changed My Lighting

In this video, I show you how I used a simple CTO gel to turn a daytime portrait into a believable nighttime image using flash, white balance, and ambient exposure control. We’ll break down: * how CTO gels work * how to create a day into night effect * balancing flash outdoors * using ND filters vs high-speed sync * and how to use color correction gels indoors to make your lighting feel more natural and believable. I also walk through my exposure process for shooting outdoors with flash and explain how white balance and color temperature affect the mood of an image. WORKSHOP INFO If you’re interested in learning advanced lighting techniques in person, my next two-day advanced lighting workshop takes place June 6th and 7th at my Chicago studio. More information here: https://johngress.com/workshops/ Model https://www.instagram.com/oneka_amara/ GEAR Lee Full Orange (CTO), 20" x 24" Color Correcting Lighting Filter https://amzn.to/4nekpAA Lee Filters 1/2 CTO 24x21" Gel Filter Sheet https://amzn.to/3PdDNkL Rosco Cinegel #3407 RoscoSun CTO Filter (20 x 24" Sheet) https://bhpho.to/4k7E2sN Rosco Cinegel Filter #3408 RoscoSun 1/2 CTO (20 x 24" Sheet) https://bhpho.to/49k0xGs Rosco Color Correction Filter Kit (12 x 12”) https://bhpho.to/42VsDnT Tiffen Variable ND Filter (82mm, 2 to 8-Stop) https://bhpho.to/42PD7FX Rosco # 3202 Full Blue CTB Color Conversion Gel Filter (20 x 24" Sheet) https://bhpho.to/4jOHCYw Canon R5 Mark II Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cJZyir B&H: https://bhpho.to/3Yc4YyB Canon BG-R20 Battery Grip for EOS R5 Mark II Amazon https://amzn.to/3B3Bg5f B&H https://bhpho.to/3XJFyaT Canon RF 85mm F1.2 L USM Amazon https://amzn.to/3tHbPxm B&H https://bhpho.to/3L6f1Na Canon RF 28-70mm f/2.0 Amazon https://amzn.to/3vkEWbE B&H https://bhpho.to/426bKEM Elinchrom FIVE Amazon https://amzn.to/3Um6V61 B&H https://bhpho.to/3LcypYZ Elinchrom Maxi Reflector 40 cm (16”) White Amazon https://amzn.to/38VCStY CHAPTERS 00:00 - Introduction 00:58 - Breaking it down on location 02:26 - Nailing The Shot 02:52 - How to Expose Outside 03:29 - Variable ND 04:26 - Day into Night Main Takeaways 05:45 - Using Color Correction Gels Indoors 06:59 - Final thoughts #photography #lighting #flashphotography #portraitphotography #studiolighting