Gobos are a popular tool for photographers who want to create interesting, dramatic backgrounds for their subjects, or when they want to deploy an interesting lighting scheme in their photographs. Often, photographers will try to save money by cutting patterns in cardboard rather than using a professionally-manufactured gobo with a high quality projector. While this may save money, we recommend the latter if you want to have more control over how the gobo looks in your photographs.
Here are a couple tips for using gobos in your pictures:
- Gobo projections are pretty bright, so if you have one displayed behind your subject, you'll want to make sure that you're using a dedicated key light to keep their face well-lit. Otherwise, the brightness of the gobo could wash out the details in the subject's face.
- If you're using a flash, make sure to account for the fact that the gobo will appear less bright in your picture. Gobo projections are affected by the amount of ambient light in the room.
- Keep in mind that if you're shooting with a narrow depth of field, a background gobo image will appear out of focus. If the gobo features a lot of detail, then you'll want to use a wide depth of field by making the aperture smaller.
If you want to ensure that your gobo is of the highest quality, you'll want to order it from Gobosource.com. Our metal and colored glass gobos are a great addition to any photographer's toolset, whether it's for a specific shoot or something that you want to have around for all of your projects. Give us a call today and we'll help you create the perfect gobo for your needs.
