I thought this video showing how Lee filters are made was worth passing along. This shows both gel lighting filters as well as lens filters.
When I was looking for the Lee Filter segment, I ran across this video as well.
Click here to see Lee filters on Amazon
Click here to see the best prices on new and used Lee filters
Have you ever found yourself taking video or photographs and having off colors? Do you need color correction of lighting, diffusion, or color effects?
Here is a nice little pdf download of a book from Rosco called Rosco Filter Facts. It’s only 32 pages, but it’s a great reference to lighting and to Rosco materials. This is well worth picking up whether you are a photographer or videographer.
Tonight I’m spending some time, fixing the wiring of an LTM Pepper light. The previous owner had some poor wiring.
Here’s the lessons I’ve learned from this light:
1. If the wiring is spliced. It’s not a good idea to leave the splice TOTALLY UNCOVERED next to the splice on wire next to it.
2. If there is a nut holding the wire in the back of the light and only one thread will catch, then HOT GLUE IS NOT THE ANSWER for stress relieving a wire. Put on a new one.
3. If a wire is PRESSED DOWN ON THE FOCUSING MECHANISM, IT WILL WEAR a DANGEROUS HOLE IN THE SHEATH.
Someone could have been hurt with that light and that someone could have been me.
OK, I have that off my chest.
If you work on electrical devices, you’re on your own. Some people really shouldn’t work on them. I take no responsibility for your actions.
I was just looking at buying a Quantum flash setup and found the videos below from Quantum’s Qflash Academy. These are a great introduction to the Quantum system and they give a little taste of how a wedding and portrait photographer uses the system. These show lighting indoors and out with some problem lighting issues. One of these shows how the photographer handles a couple posed in front of a brightly lit window and corrects for that with the Quantum Qflash Trio System. This isn’t huge on details, but it’s still a nice set of photography videos for those who would like to see how professional lighting results can be attained. If you don’t have an interest in the Quantum system and already have some other flash setup, you will still see some useful video here.
More Quantum Flash Resources on Ebay and Amazon
Here are the contents of the two groups of videos on the page:
Quantum Qflash TRIO/PILOT – This one is the more hands on video showing interaction with models.
Intro: Trio Intro With Rick Ferro
Lesson 1: QTTL Bounce Portrait Indoors
Lesson 2: Auto-Fill Bounce Portrait Indoors
Lesson 3: Outdoor Fill-Flash In QTTL Mode
Lesson 4: Sunny Outdoor Off-Camera Portrait With HSS
Lesson 5: BareBulb Outdoor Portrait
Lesson 6: Lighting the Room With Wireless QTTL
Lesson 7: Two Light Portrait Using Manual And Auto Modes
What Is The Pilot?
Quantum Qflash 5d-R – This one shows the features of the flash. I thought this was simply just a marketing piece at first, but I ended up liking this because it goes into more detailed information.
Lesson 1: Getting Started with Qflash
Lesson 2: Getting Started with Qflash: TTL and Auto Modes
Lesson 3: Getting Started with Qflash: Manual, Program, and Strobo Modes
Lesson 4: Getting Started with Qflash: CAMERA SETUP Q&A
Lesson 5: Basic TTL On-Camera Flash Indoors
Lesson 6: More TTL On-Camera Flash Indoors
Lesson 7: Basic TTL Off-Camera Flash Indoors
Lesson 8: MoreTTL Off-Camera Flash Indoors
Lesson 9: Fill Flash made easy with AUTO more
Lesson 10: Fill Flash in Manual Exposure Mode
Here is a video of how to light shiney metal or reflective objects. This is another video by Thomas Christopher Moore.
Here is a very brief overview of basic lighting and metering technique by Thomas Christopher Moore. It is very short and basic, but if you’re getting your feet wet, it will prove helpful.
I’m probably in the minority, but I still like shooting continuous lighting in my home studio for photography as well as video.
I have a few reasons.
1) I also shoot video. I use a mix of Mole-Richardson and LTM Pepper continuous lights. They give me beautiful light.
2) I don’t shoot photographs or video in long sessions so I don’t worry about heat build-up from the tungsten lights. Also, my space is large enough that heat dissipates easily.
3) Since I shoot video fairly actively and I’m lazy, I have a semi-permanent set and several lights up on Matthews light stands at all times. I love Matthews light stands.
4) It’s darn predictable even if a bit dim for still photography.
5) Did I mention that the light is beautiful? These have been used to create the best in movie and TV for years.
6) I don’t have to deal with much movement in my still photography.
7) I’m always prepared to interrogate someone. 
A few safety notes:
I don’t deal much with child photography, unpredictable people, or the general public so I am a little less concerned, but no less cautious, about someone getting burned. It is important that anyone you may have on your set understand that tungsten lights can cause serious burns.
I never leave my lights unattended once lit.
I don’t touch them without leather gloves once lit.
I sandbag the base.
I leave plenty of head-room between lights and ceiling.
They’re great instruments. Just be careful.
George Hurrell was probably the most famous of the Hollywood movie studio photographers. He made photographs of stars usually using very contrasty lighting.
Not being a movie buff, if I didn’t know the subject in some of these pictures, I still knew that the person was a star. The person was obviously a star because only the stars had pictures like those. The style was unmistakable.
Hurrell had amazing lighting technique. His photography may actually be one of the reasons why I have a nice (but hot) set of Mole Richardson and LTM Pepper tungsten lights instead of modern, cool fluorescent lights. I use them in my videos and in my photography.
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