When Should You Use Gels and Softbox Grids?

There are so many different types of lighting modifiers hitting todays market, it can be hard to determine when you should be using what. As Joe McNally explains in his short video tutorial, a curbside fashion shoot done at night is the perfect time to break out your collection of gels. In the video, McNally uses a red gel to make the light coming from the neon signage in the background really pop. Take a look as he shows you his exact setup and why he used a small fabric grid on his softbox:

Below, you can see how McNally used a combination of a small softbox and grid to light the model along with a red gel on a speedlight which was setup in the background to accentuate reds on the wall behind the model.

Not too bad for an easily portable two light setup!