need help with gels on non-paper backgrounds

What color non-paper backdrop do you prefer for best results for use with gels? I have wrinkle-free Boss backdrops in white and black and can't seem to get results that I'm happy with. I'm using three Genesis 200s for my key/fill/hair lights but for my background I'm using a 600ex-rt because its the only flash that I have gels for. My issue could also likely be due to my lack of expertise. Any advice for a struggling newbie on gels would be appreciated.

I prefer a black background, but your issue may be a lack of flash power from the 600ex. The 600 has about 1/3 the output of the Genesis strobes.
edit: if you turn the strobe output all the way down and leave the 600 at full power, what kind of color are you getting?

On the othe hand, you can turn the gelled flash up too high and it essentially desaturates the gel. Try it at varying powers to see what you end up with.

I will try again tonight.

If I wanted to use my 4th Genesis 200 light for use with gels would I see better results if I got the Calumet barndoor set that comes with 5 gels and the gel holder? Or should I just but the sheets and clothes-pin them over my reflector?

Years worth of information on gelling backgrounds here: https://photography-on-the.net …=415671&highlig​ht=gelling

I have a grey-colored collapsible background that I've gelled a number of times. One of my 430EXIIs works well for this. Actually in many cases, I end up getting background colors much more saturated than I was initially intending and have to adjust accordingly.

Maybe its just my positioning of the 600ex?

I had it on a floor stand right behind my stool angled up. It was about 3-4 feet from the background, similar to what you see in the photo below, except that in this photo the 600ex is my hairlight. After getting frustrated I gave up on the gelling and moved my 600ex to be my hairlight and placed a Genesis 200 with 40 degree grid as my background light.

I was using a white background and tried varying the output power from 1/32 to full power in 1/4 increments, and varied the distance and angle from the background. I was not able to uniformly distribute the gel effect across the whole background. With lower power settings I got nice halo effects but very soft. With higher power settings I got a snoot effect which I wasn't pleased with.

I just can't figure out how to get a nice rich gelled background for my life.

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

Keep in mind that gelling a background is similar to lighting a backdrop. Its very difficult to get a white backdrop white across the spread with a single light because of falloff. Same things apply to gels. Its going to be hard to get an even spread across a drop with a single light. T

gonzogolf wrote in post #15474641
Keep in mind that gelling a background is similar to lighting a backdrop. Its very difficult to get a white backdrop white across the spread with a single light because of falloff. Same things apply to gels. Its going to be hard to get an even spread across a drop with a single light. T

I wasn't expecting a uniform spread, maybe I should have been more clear. I will experiment and post sample shots today of just my background light in various positions and power settings. I will forget the white background and work with my black one for now (until my grey one arrives next week). Maybe posting sample shots will help narrow down my issue.

About all you can do is zoom the flash wide (use the flip-down wide panel), orient the flash accordingly (turn it sideways if you're trying to light a vertical shot), and get it far enough away to light the area you want.

Curtis N wrote in post #15474751
About all you can do is zoom the flash wide (use the flip-down wide panel), orient the flash accordingly (turn it sideways if you're trying to light a vertical shot), and get it far enough away to light the area you want.

Thanks, I will try that. I never thought about playing with the zoom settings.

coeng wrote in post #15474813
I never thought about playing with the zoom settings.

I think you need to slap yourself in the forehead, sir.

Curtis N wrote in post #15474869
I think you need to slap yourself in the forehead, sir.

Done, and done.

So I had a little time to play around with my setup on my lunch break a short while ago.

I changed the background to my wrinkle-free black one, and I took the hairlight out and made it my background light with a pink gel.

I actually made some progress by playing with zoom. Below are 5 photos.

1) Main Light & Fill Light only for exposure check and spill.
2) Only background light: full power (zoomed to 20mm).
3) Only background light: full power (zoomed to 35mm).
4) Main/Fill back on, background light on full power (zoomed to 35mm)
5) A shot from the side showing the distance and position of background light with respect to background

I want to cover more of the black so it seems like I need to move my background light further away from the background, right?

Anything else I should consider?

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

HTTP response: 404 | MIME changed to 'text/html' | Byte size: ZERO

coeng wrote in post #15475177
I want to cover more of the black so it seems like I need to move my background light further away from the background, right?

That's what I would try next. Move your gelled light further from your background (and/or zoom the flash our as much as possible). It looks like you have the room, so experiment with just your gelled light until it fills as much of the frame as you're looking for.

If you cant move the flash any farther away from the background perhaps try adding a bounce card to increase the spread pattern.