Color has never been more important to the story of an image. Famed UK photographer, Jake Hicks walks you through his signature style using color gels to create vibrant and life-filled images that grab a hold of every viewer. Jake takes you from understanding the basics of bringing color to your subjects to creating complex color schematics with a dynamic impact.
Before jumping straight into the first setup, learn about the elements that go into creating the look of colored gel photography. Listen as photographer, Jake Hicks, describes the importance of white lighting techniques to establish a firm lighting foundation, building towards colored gels. Learn...
Begin the step by step setup of lighting for colored gel photography. Work in studio to focus on the key light's position, angle, subsequent shadows and their symmetry. Learn about the benefits of using a beauty dish, right angle bracket, and the importance of subjective vs. objective lighting. C...
With the key light properly placed, dial in the optimum camera settings. Adopt a fixed approach for shutter and ISO leveraging the power of studio lighting to make exposure adjustments. Establish the depth of field, refining focus to an aperture setting that will only vary for creative taste. See...
With the key light established, proceed to adding the second light in the setup - the fill light. Utilize the 60 x 60 Broncolor softbox and floor stand to establish the proper fill for maintaining lighting symmetry and shadow control. Contrast reflectors versus using additional strobe lighting. L...
Continue the step by step setup for lighting the set. With key and fill lights established and positioned as the objective lighting of the shot, begin to build dimension, specularity, and separation from the background with the addition of hair lighting. Watch and learn as photographer, Jake Hick...
After completing a solid lighting foundation for the set, begin the process of introducing color. Think about color in relationship to the background of the set, the styling and wardrobe of the model, and the gels that are placed on each light. Apply color theory to the process of lighting a colo...
Explore lens options, with photographer, Jake Hicks, for creating specific on set results. Watch as he utilizes the 50mm Lensbaby Composer Pro, to create a practical radial blur. Iterate through a series of captures to achieve the ideal focus point and creative exposure. With lighting, gels, and ...
Upon completing production for the first look - the gelled flare - begin the retouching process in Photoshop, with photographer Jake Hicks. For this example, work to understand a portrait retouching approach, adding more complex editorial examples as the training series progress. In this section,...
With the primary distractions eliminated with the Patch Tool, apply another process to refine and enhance the subject's skin. Use a layered approach with soft light blending, hue saturation, and a variety of other tools within Photoshop to remove splotches and uneven skin tone. Leverage the flexi...
Having applied a variety of methods to retouch and tone skin, begin to focus on blending the layered approach for a natural, cohesive look. With blurring, high and low pass separation, linear light blending and masking, manually apply a skin smoothing method for an incredible result for a natural...
After applying Frequency Separation in a methodical and intelligent way, move straight into Dodging and Burning. In this pass of retouching the portrait, focus on a global approach. Utilize curves, adjustment layering, masks, and the paint brush to create extra depth and dimension to the image.
Follow photographer, Jake Hicks, as he moves through a layered and intentional methodology to retouching the Gelled Flare image. Having started with targeted areas of the images, continue to work with a more global approach, refining skin, creating dimension, and focusing on color through the ret...
Learn to evaluate highlights in the image, separating them from the main exposure, and reducing the oily effect they can have on skin tone. Target troublesome areas like the forehead and cheekbones on a subject, while maintaining the definition and beauty of the skin pores from the Frequency Sepa...
With the final step of color toning, work with photographer, Jake Hicks, to create the finishing touches that define the image. Utilize curves adjustments, separating the red, green, and blue color channels for precise control and manipulation of the image grade. Gain control over the subtle hues...
