Although we can lift the shadows just by our exposure, this will often lead to a blown out background. When you have the light source behind your subject, often your subject can be in shadow. When might I use a reflector in photography?Įssentially, you use a reflector to lift the shadows on your subject - so if there are shadows on your subject in areas that you don’t want them, then you can use the reflector to “fill” the shadows in that area.Īlthough this can happen in many ways, a really common use for a reflector is when backlighting your subject. Reflectors, both natural and store bought, work in the same way: they reflect the light back onto your subject in order to lighten the shadows on any chosen area. Technically, a reflector is anything that reflects light, so it can be something that is already in your environment, such as a white wall, or you can purchase a dedicated reflector so that you don’t have to rely on finding a natural one. Got that? Great! Then let’s dive into the “meat” of the post! What is a reflector? So in this post, I’m going to cover what a reflector is, when you might want to use one, when the right time is to get one, and if you do, which one you should get.īefore we dive in, if you’re interested in learning more about light, be sure to download our Photography Lighting Starter Guide! You'll learn all about the building blocks of light - its colour, intensity and direction - along with some ideas for using each one to kickstart your creative juices. A reflector is simply a tool that will help you change or mould the light to suit your vision, and help you get your images to look the way you want them to. Knowing how to manipulate the light around you is crucial as you progress in your photography journey, because those subtle nuanced shifts in light can have a major impact on your images. This ensures that I’m not getting any reflections from the floor and makes my neck and some facial features darker compared to no reflector at all.Have you heard people talking about a reflector, wondered what it does, and whether you need one? Then good news, that’s exactly what I’m going to be answering in this post! Many of the 5-in-1 reflectors also have a black side that can be used as negative fill. That can be useful when trying to imitate the sun, but most of the time I stay away from using a gold reflector, unless the additional gold/warm tone is something that I’m looking for. Now, this is what the image looks like if I use a gold reflector: Gold Reflector In the portrait here you can notice the extra specular highlight in the eye. With a silver reflector the highlights will be more specular, and anything reflective/shiny will be accentuated even more compared to when using a white reflector. Here’s the portrait, but now using a silver reflector: Silver Reflector Now I’m holding a large white reflector right under the frame: White ReflectorĪs you can see, the shadows are reduced quite nicely and evenly when using a white reflector. The photo was taken using a silver beauty dish placed directly in front of me and pointing down at about a 45-degree angle. The only bottom reflection that I get in this case if from the pale wooden floor. No Reflectorįirst, here’s a self-portrait taken without any reflectors. If you’re wondering about the difference between the different color options (white, silver, gold), then this post should give you a very good starting point. They come in all shapes and sizes, and they also come in a few different color/reflective material options. Reflectors are very useful tools for portrait or fashion photography.
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