You might check into theatrical and other production supply stores or online retailers and ask for a Lee or Rosco gel swatch booklet. These are little booklets of color gel samples that you can usually get for a very small price, if not completely free, and they're just about the right size to tape over a camera flash unit (built-in or external). This will give you a VERY inexpensive supply of many different colors of gels for flash photography. I hope this helps. :)
Thanks for the tip Larry. I have been very pleased with Nikon's flash metering, even using just the built-in flash. Next week I'm going to step up to the SB-800 and start playing with gels as well. Can't wait.
Oooo...I like the lighting in this. Gotta love Nikon's flash metering. :) The highlights on her face from the sun are wonderfully exposed and warm, while the fill flash is balanced with the background exposure to provide nice, ample lighting in the shadows. I've often used fill flash during low-sun pictures, but you can certainly tell the difference in color temperatures. Compared to the warm sunlight, the flash seems blue. Though this is often something we just have to deal with, there are wonderful gels available that you can even put over the built-in flash to balance the color. And, since most new cameras use off-the-film metering, you can use one over the flash to great effect without having to worry about flash exposure compensation, because the camera just keeps providing flash exposure (up to its maximum output) until it reads that enough flash light has reached the film. It does this by monitoring the flash output reflected from the film during exposure, turning off the flash once it's read a proper exposure. If all else fails, you can also use highly reflective light modifiers that will bounce light into the shadows from the sun, which will provide fill lighting that is the same color as the sun. :) But, again, this is a wonderfully exposed image. Good job.