Color Theory and Creative Lighting using Gels
with John Gress
In Person Meeting:
- Free to PPSV Members
- $45 Guest Fee for Non-Members
Agenda:
- 6:00-6:30 pm: Networking (with a simple/light dinner provided)
- 6:30-7:00 pm: New Member Intros/Announcements/Business
- 7:00-9:00 pm: Speaker Program
Join photographer and educator John Gress for a vibrant 90-minute presentation exploring creative lighting techniques using both flash with colored gells. Whether you’re looking to punch up your portfolio with bold, expressive color or simply gain more control over how mood and tone are shaped through light, this session will equip you with the ideas and technical insight to get there.
Key Takeaways:
- Mastering color harmony- to guide mood and emotion, creating portraits that feel authentic, timeless, and memorable.
- Reduce editing time by getting color right in-camera, resulting in cleaner files and smoother post-production.
- Create portraits that flatter your clients’ skin tones and clothing choices
- Choosing the right colors for different creative outcomes
- Real-world tips for setup and consistency
- Exploring how color influences emotion and narrative
- Practical insights to inspire experimentation in your own work
Perfect for photographers of all experience levels, this session is designed to spark new ideas and help you use color with greater confidence and intention.
BIO
For more than 25 years, Chicago photographer John Gress has created striking photography and video content for some of America’s largest companies and leading international publications. His work spans lifestyle, advertising, portraiture, and video for the beauty industry, professional sports leagues, and high-profile campaigns. Named by Professional Photographer Magazine as “one of the nation’s foremost experts on lighting,” Gress is known for his bold, dynamic style both on location and in studio. His clients include Nike, Coors Light, Windex, Glade, the NBA, Hyatt Hotels, Lufthansa, WAHL Clipper Corporation, and Panini trading cards, and his work has appeared in publications such as Time, People, Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone, US Weekly, and The New York Times. In 2025, Gress helped lead Team USA to victory in the World Photographic Cup, earning Best in the Nation for the highest-scoring U.S. image, and was also honored at the United Nations with a Professional Photographer Achievement Award from the International Photographic Council.
Gress discovered photography as a teenager in Oregon when he brought his mother’s Vivitar camera to summer camp. By his senior year of high school he was already covering major events for the Associated Press. Today he combines technical mastery with a deep understanding of branding and storytelling to create powerful visual content for clients around the world. A passionate educator and mentor, Gress shares his expertise through Instagram, YouTube, industry publications, conferences, and hands-on workshops across the United States, helping photographers strengthen both their technical skills and creative vision while advancing the craft of photography.
