alternatives to gels?

Matt S · March 8, 2009

For all you DIY's out there. I am looking for ideas on products and places ( locally as I live in AK and the crazy shipping prices are a pet peeve of mine ) that I can get my hands on colored plastic sheeting or colored plexiglass etc. I am using these for effects not color correction so color accuracy is really not an issue. I am thinking about the stuff you find flowers wrapped in or the transparent stuff fruit baskets sometime have. I just cannot figure out where to buy it. Plexi would be cool too and provide all kinds of uses.

Sure I can order Rosco or other ones, but I am really a hands on type person and like to see what I am buying. Also I like to experiment, so a local source is handy. Besides simply ordering the stuff takes all the fun out of it:D

pathfinder · March 8, 2009

Matt,

You can obviously used colored plastic sheets or glass to alter the light from your speedlights. You could even use colored tissue paper if you are carefull - but with hot lights, or frequent use of powerful strobes, tissue paper MIGHT ignite! Something to think about very carefully. Burning up a strobe negates any savings over gels.

Colored plexiglass would serve, but then you have to design a way to mount it. The same is true for colored glass.

The Honl gel kit is the simplest and easiest I have found - It includes gels for color correction, as well as for dramatic intent, fits in a box 5 x 6 x 3/8th inch ( my ocular estimate of size) and costs $29.95. I carry one in each of my camera bags.

Phoxle markets some gel kits as well, but the gels are smaller and must fit directly over the flash head, and I get concerned about the heat in that style with extensive flash usage. The package on much smaller to carry in your camera bag to though. The cost $39.95 and do not include colors other than color correction.

Rosco gel sampler packs are like the Phoxle, they must be mounted directly against the flash tube on a speed light. With the Honl, they are large enough to allow 1/4 to 1/2 inch for airflow. I like that myself.

Matt S · March 9, 2009

Thanks I am likely going to have to order a kit. I was planning on using these with my photogenics. Sadly to do it right for those, requires the gel frame, the gel frame mount, and then the gels. And of course no one seems to make it easy and package that as a kit. Aside from that fact is the cost (~$100 total) plus the insane "ship to Alaska" rates, just to do it the "right" way.

I am pretty handy in my workshop so creating a mount/frame is not going to be hard, but I need to figure out what material is available for gels before I do that.

In the end, yeah I will probably end up ordering gels, but was just hoping someone had found something that worked and was readily available at Home Depot or Target etc.

Thanks again for the links, i will check them out.

pathfinder · March 9, 2009

B&H sells individual color correction or altering gels ( in 24 x 24 in sizes if memory serves ) so if you can fabricate a frame then you should be good to go.

They are not expensive if you just buy them a sheet at a time - I have a large 1/4 CTO that I cut to size to use as well.

heatherfeather · March 9, 2009

Matt S wrote:

For all you DIY's out there. I am looking for ideas on products and places ( locally as I live in AK and the crazy shipping prices are a pet peeve of mine ) that I can get my hands on colored plastic sheeting or colored plexiglass etc. I am using these for effects not color correction so color accuracy is really not an issue. I am thinking about the stuff you find flowers wrapped in or the transparent stuff fruit baskets sometime have. I just cannot figure out where to buy it. Plexi would be cool too and provide all kinds of uses.

Sure I can order Rosco or other ones, but I am really a hands on type person and like to see what I am buying. Also I like to experiment, so a local source is handy. Besides simply ordering the stuff takes all the fun out of it:D

Or you can go to Stewarts next time you are in Anchorage and get some real gels for like $4.

You'll have to get some velcro for about $2 at WallyWorld too. They have CTO and WTG sheets that are 8.5 x 11 and you can cut them to size.

Check out this post at Strobist to see what I mean about the velcro:
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101-using-gels-to-correct.html

pathfinder · March 9, 2009

Thanks Heather, nothing like local knowledge

Matt S · March 9, 2009

heatherfeather wrote:

Or you can go to Stewarts next time you are in Anchorage and get some real gels for like $4. You'll have to get some velcro for about $2 at WallyWorld too. They have CTO and WTG sheets that are 8.5 x 11 and you can cut them to size.

Check out this post at Strobist to see what I mean about the velcro:
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101-using-gels-to-correct.html

Thanks Heather I had talked to them before and at the time they only had a couple sheets of CTO. I will need those too, but am actually after deep reds, blues, greens, etc. There is a particular project I have in mind, and I really want to accomplish it in camera rather than in post.

As an aside, I have been very pleased with Stewart's new management and now shop there first before going online. The guys at the Camera Service Center on 15th are pretty darn nice too, just not much inventory.

heatherfeather · March 11, 2009

Matt S wrote:

Thanks Heather I had talked to them before and at the time they only had a couple sheets of CTO. I will need those too, but am actually after deep reds, blues, greens, etc. There is a particular project I have in mind, and I really want to accomplish it in camera rather than in post.

As an aside, I have been very pleased with Stewart's new management and now shop there first before going online. The guys at the Camera Service Center on 15th are pretty darn nice too, just not much inventory.

Oh, I hadn't realized they had changed management. It seems like they pretty much have all the basics... even though they just tack the shipping prices on the top.. and then some. But I love it that they are local and great to have around in a pinch + an hour drive.
Back to your mission:
I read somewhere that someone used plastic folder/ notebook devider material- like for kids' school stuff- and altered it to use with velcro just like it was in the strobist site. It might be easier than creating a frame for plexi. But whatever- and good luck!

aktse · March 11, 2009

PhotoGels is another source and the shipping is quite reasonable. Even if you order the largest sets of everything (3 full sets?), they ship it inside a normal envelope via USPS. Shipping to your neck of the wood is the same as to the rest of the US.

They are one of the few people who have the Polarizer gels as well and if you do a bit of searching, there's a 10% discount of so (or something similar).

Matt S · March 11, 2009

Heather thanks

AKTSE thanks for the link I will check that out.

Art Scott · March 11, 2009

One reason NOT to use other materials other than gels is the heat value......gels are made to withstand a great deal od heat and even thos we do not notices the heat produced by a single flash of our on camera strobe after shooting for a while it starts to build up and then you get holes burned into the "gel" like material....aslo plexi and glass can substanially shorten the life of any lamp.....whether strobe or continious lighting....so can the mylar that flowers are wrapped in...............
Is Anchorage the only town with a theatrical supply company in all of Alaska??
Search the Lee Filters webpages and the web pages of Rosco to see who may be inyour area as a retailer and their swatch books work great for a lot of shoe mount flashes ...........so get at least 2 of each kind of swatch book at the same time................

Matt S · March 11, 2009

Art thanks for the insight. I was not aware of any effect on bulb life, that's good to know. I was aware of, and planned to accommodate for heat.

Sadly even though Anchorage is a town of 250,000 theatrical supply is pretty much nill. Anything outside of the norm is available via ordering from outside. Grrrrr, it's really a pain.

To make everyone feel better, and myself too. I am going to order the proper equipment from somewhere. I just found out that what I thought was a bad sprain is in fact two fractures. I see an orthopedic (surgery???) in the morning. So running around chasing "phantom" gels doesn't have the same appeal it did before.

Thanks for all the advice everyone.

alternatives to gels?

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