DIY Gel Holder for Light Painting Photography

If you’re like most Light Painting Photographers, you’ve probably got a bunch of gels scattered everywhere. You go out to shoot, fumble around in the dark trying to find green, only to flash a shot of blue into your image.

This super simple tip/tutorial will help solve that problem. I didn’t invent this gel holder — I totally stole the idea from pictures of other people’s kits (pretty sure it was TCB’s or Trevor’s). But it works, so here you go!

Presented by Jason D. Page.

🧰 What You Will Need:

• 2 pieces of cardboard (I used notebook backs — thick enough to block light but easy to cut)
• Gels
• Scissors
• Marker
• Razor knife

✂️ Step-by-Step Instructions

Rip the cardboard off your notebook backs (or cut down your pieces to size).

Lay down your flash, center it, and trace it out near the top of the cardboard.

Cut out the rectangles using a razor knife.

Grab your second piece of cardboard and line it up with the first.

Trace the cutouts from the first sheet onto the second.

Cut again — repeat the exact cuts on the second piece of cardboard.

Double-check that everything lines up!

Cut your gels slightly larger than the cutouts so they can be taped in securely.

Tape each gel over its respective window on one piece of cardboard.

Optional: Cut your finger using the wrong kind of tape because you were too lazy to find the right one. (Don’t recommend.)

Sandwich your gels between the two sheets and tape it all together.

The finished product. Like most great Light Painting tools — the worse it looks, the better it works.

Bonus Tip: Label your gels — because even with this holder, you’ll still forget which color is where.