Practice makes perfect! Enjoy your photography, it’s the best motivator and reward one can have.
Cheers, Damien.

Go to a commercial paint supplyer and ask them for the neutral colour codes. Nearly all paint companies make the ISO set of shades that includes 6 neutrals from black to white. Each company gives them unique names. Alternatively take in a Pantone swatch and the paint company can type in a code to the mixing computer. Some companies do it, and some dont. It’s what architects use to specify pint colours on commercial jobs.

I hope this helps,

Damien.

Chris

The coloured gels used in the way I use them is for head and shoulders only. You can light a background but you need to keep your subject separate from the background for the obvious reasons you describe. I dont have a link for the theatre trick I describe but you can see it on all the ‘talent’ shows. A black or grey floor paint lit with colour from behind.

To shoot full length shots with a infinite colour you need a paper roll of a painted infinity cove. I use paper rolls and have a few of them in my studio for when I need them.

Kind regards,

Damien.

Loving the gels!!!

I am having a little trouble trying to get full body shoots with the floor and backgriound the same colour.
Do you use a gel on the background and then another pointed at the floor of the same colour?

Would this create a colour cast on the models feet or dress?

Refering to your comment here >
I have to use coloured gel or use the theatre trick of using a colour wash from the back and a follow spot from the front. The pool of white light just seems right.

How do you do this? any links?

Sorry about all the questions i am just very excited about the poetential images by using your gel set.

Cheers, Chris.

Explore the possibilities and enjoy the process.

Damien.

Welcome to photography. I hope the magic of capturing images stays with you forever. I use a grey background so that I can achieve all luminance values from black (with the background light switched off) to white. I create white with the background light switched on full power and with no gel in place. With this range of luminance I can create some fantastically varied colours.

The darkness of the painted or paper background required depends upon several factors. The colour of the walls to the left and right, the colour of the ceiling and the distance from the subject to the background. If your studio walls and ceiling are white they will reflect the subject lights and lift the lightness of the background so you will need a darker grey to be able to produce a true black. If you can create a true black you can add a splash of light through a blue gel to create a midnight blue etc. If there is spill light hitting the background or the background is too light the depth of colour that can be achieved will be disappointing.

The background light is a flash light. I do not leave the modelling light on because it will ‘cook’ the gel.

I hope this helps,

Damien.

Grr