Ok, I'll wade in here...
1. Fan speed and direction take practice. Working with a fan to get the look you're hoping for is just like working with a light to get the look you're hoping for. There are no shortcuts.
2. Gel color. pretty well covered above - the biggest issue with gels is to make sure the white light does not pollute your gelled light. Light control is key.
3. Shutter speed WILL make some difference if your exposure even when using strobes when at the high end of the sync speed. Alien Bees have a relatively long flash duration so adjusting your sync from say 125 to 200 will show a noticable effect. It won't be the 2/3 stop that it would be with continuous light but it will make a diff. Previous poster correct when dealing with lower shutter speeds. Going from 8 to 60 probably will have no noticable effect.
FWIW
Steve
|