Gobo (lighting)

For other uses, see Gobo (disambiguation).
A decorative lighting device that projects a gobo. Components from right to left are the lamp house, the gobo itself (in this case a grid made of wires), and the focusing lens. In a theatrical unit, all three would be in an enclosure to prevent light spillage. The insert at lower right shows the pattern this device projects. The spacing of the gobo and the lens can be varied to alter the size and focus of the image.

A gobo is an object placed inside or in front of a light source to control the shape of the emitted light and its shadow.[1][2][3][4][5]

For studio photography purposes, the term "gobo" has come to refer to any device that casts a shadow, and various pieces of equipment that go in front of a light (such as a gobo arm or gobo head).[6]

In theatrical lighting, however, the term more specifically refers to a device placed in "the gate" or at the "point of focus" between the light source, called a lamp, and the lenses (or other optics).

  1. ^ Kelby, Scott (2006). The digital photography book : the step-by-step secrets for how to make your photos look like the pros'! First edition, p. 40. Peachpit Press, Berkeley, California.
  2. ^ "the definition of gobo". www.dictionary.com. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  3. ^ "Definition of GOBO". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  4. ^ "Gobo definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  5. ^ "gobo | Definition of gobo in English by Oxford Dictionaries". Oxford Dictionaries | English. Archived from the original on February 25, 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
  6. ^ Box, Harry C. Set lighting technician's handbook Third Edition, Focal Press, 2003. p. 120.