Amelia_Skye_weights_and_gels
Fitness shoot with fitness model Amelia Skye using colored gel lighting.
Fitness shoot with fitness model Amelia Skye using colored gel lighting.
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Canon EOS 7D
Aperture f/3.2 ISO 100 Shutter 1/200 Focal Length 41/1 
Saint Paul, Minnesota, US
Jan, 2019Views
439
Likes
Awards
Zenith Award
Top Shot Award 22
Creative Winter Award
Hidden Gem Award
Spring 21 Award
Judge Favorite
Celebrity Award
Contest Finalist in Women In Sports Photo Contest
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
Superior Skill
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was shot in a warehouse studio in St. Paul on a gray seamless paper backdrop. Wanted an overall dark tone that would pick up hints of the gelled lights but keep the focus on the fitness model, Amelia Skye.Time
Mid-day sometime - and that's why I love a controlled studio environment! Creating darker toned images like this aren't dependent on the time of day and I get to create lighting affects that are different that what you'd find naturally.Lighting
I wanted to create a moody, almost futuristic lighting palette while also working with the fitness model's muscle definition to make sure all her hard work came through in the final image. I love the combination of the magenta/red and blue color combination - makes for an edgy, neon-lit future-noir look that evokes an uncommon environment for a fitness photo which is what we were going for. Two Profoto D1's about 45 degrees and behind the model on each side, one with a magenta gel and the other with a blue gel, both using the zoom reflectors, provide the hard, futuristic light that also provides defined shadows to make sure Amelia's muscles really pop.Equipment
Shot with a Canon 7D with 24-70mm f2.8L II lens. Two Profoto D1's with zoom reflectors for lighting, one with magenta gel and the other with a blue gel.Inspiration
I've been wanting to use gelled lights in a dramatic, muscle defining fitness shoot for some time and Amelia provided the perfect chance! We're always working on ways to highlight all the progress she's been making and this was a way to do something a bit different for her brand and audience.Editing
Post-processing consisted of my normal flow for fitness shoots - skin retouching, burn/dodge contouring, etc. - as well as working with the gel colors we got in studio and balancing them out with each other for an ideal color combination while also make sure each one achieves the right brightness and saturation. For example the blue tone on the right was brought up by about 1/3 of a stop to bring in more facial shadow detail while also really making the highlights on her arm create even more dramatic definition.In my camera bag
Since I work out of various studios and sometimes assist/do backup work, I have a "go" bag that works in various scenarios. Of course there's my Canon 7D and the 24-70mm f2.8L II that's my workhorse lens. There's also my Sekonic L-358 light meter for accurately checking exposure in studio or on location. Out of paranoia I have 4 Yongnuo YN-685 speedlights along with the radio transmitter, a small 9" softbox, and 5-in-1 reflector. This way even in the studio I have a way to create off-camera studio lighting setups even if the strobes I expect to be in the studio are out of commission. Since I have Yongnuo strobe triggers that work within this ecosystem, I then also have plenty of small accessory lights on-hand that are easy to move around and put in the exact locations I need them to work in conjunction with the main studio strobes.Feedback
The color from the gels works best when they aren't competing with already existing white light - otherwise they don't show up or the affect isn't as pronounced. What this means is that you'll want to be very deliberate in creating shadows that the colored light can then fill. And while I'm devoted to my light meter to get lighting setups the way I want before I release the shutter even a single time, gelled lights require some experimentation and a "correct" exposure setting for a normal rim or fill light might be far too much to get the color saturation you're intending. Remember that as the brightness goes up, the saturation goes down and gets closer to white and vice versa - as the brightness goes down, the saturation goes up for a deeper, richer, albeit darker color. So if you're interested in playing with this style - mind your shadows, play with the strobe power on your gelled lights, and practice, practice, practice!
