Using a reflector in photography testimonials. How and when should you use different reflector colors? What is a reflector for when shooting

In this beginner photography tutorial, you will learn how to use a reflector effectively to enhance your photography when shooting in natural light.

Make the right choice

Since you have never used a reflector, never held it in your hands, have a poor idea of what to start from and you are scared by all the variety of this accessory necessary for a photographer, let's figure it out from the very beginning.

Reflectors, reflectors, light discs, or reflectors for short, come in a wide variety of sizes. There are large and small reflectors. Round, rectangular and triangular. There are reflectors with white, gold, silver surfaces, as well as combinations of these and other colors and shades.

The first thing to decide is the size of the reflector. If you are planning to shoot mainly individual portraits or are thinking about the question, a small reflector is the best choice. Of course, one could argue that a large reflector tends to give off a large area of soft light, but a large reflector is more difficult to use, and bounced light is often not required so much to take a technically good shot. There is a compromise!

The 80cm diameter reflector is the most common reflector that combines ease of use with good reflected light.

The second thing a photographer faces when choosing a reflector is the shape and brand of the accessory. In the store you can find light discs with handles, and with soft rims, and simple in shape and design. Think carefully about which features you really need and which ones aren't worth the extra money (be it Bowens, Lastolite, or Grifon). The same is true with the choice of the brand. This is, of course, a matter of personal preference, but if you cannot decide, specialists in studio equipment, for example, the Fotogor store, will always help you make the right choice and even save smartly.

What to do with colors from which the eyes of an inexperienced user run up? Which one to prefer - gold or gilded, silver or silver-plated, or maybe you need a silver-gold reflector? Fortunately, manufacturers are very fond of their users and often reflectors come with replaceable panels. You don't need to rack your brains and suffer with this question, you can easily change the color panel depending on the shooting conditions.

by Tomasz Staśko The MadHatter

The silver surface gives a cooler shade of reflected light. If you are shooting not on a cloudy day, but in a very bright and sunny day, silver will allow you to get a more natural picture in terms of color rendition. The golden surface of the reflector can add intensity to the tanning of the model, and when photographing children, it makes their skin honey, which undoubtedly benefits our white-skinned children, which in most cases cannot be called "blood and milk".

by Vincent Ethier

A reflector does just what its name suggests - it reflects light. If you're using the silver or gold side of an accessory, don't let the model look directly at it, especially if you're shooting in the midday sun. The last thing a photographer should do is dazzle their subject. With practice, you can easily determine the distance to which the reflector should be placed in order to create a good reflection and emphasize the cut-off pattern.

Every photographer will sooner or later come to their own preferences for how and when to use a reflector when shooting in natural light, but let's look at a few typical situations to find out what works best for you and in which case.

by Julia Kuzmenko McKim

Sometimes, when taking photographs, say, in the grass, it may turn out that dark shadows appear on the face of the model, due to the proximity of a large area to a dark surface. In this case, place the reflector on the ground as close to your subject as possible to add light and remove unsightly blemishes or dark skin tones.

by Simon Benedičič

When it is a cloudy or cloudy day, it is common to notice that people have dark shadows around their eyes. In such a situation, the reflector must be brought closer to the face. It should be positioned at such a distance that it just does not fall into the frame. By holding the light disc at the height of the model's chest, you can get nice soft reflected light that will illuminate the face from below from the chin to the eyes.

A blog for photographers Fotogor has already written about how to get the effect of shining eyes in a photo. http: // site /? page_id = 1519. Recall that the model should be in the shade, and the photographer should be in the sun. A reflector will come in handy, with which you can add highlights to the model's eyes, revive them and make them gorgeous.

by Melissa Beattie

The reflector is a simple, versatile, inexpensive accessory that is essential in the life of every portrait photographer. Don't skimp on little lest you miss out on something more that will help you climb to the next stage of your creative development in photography.

Natural light is often the best light source for great photography. But it doesn't always have the right direction and intensity. However, there is an easy way to solve these problems - reach for the reflector and direct the light as you need it.

You can take just about any surface that can reflect light and use it as a reflector. For example, traditional polystyrene reflectors are very common in the studio - they are cheap and lightweight, and can also be coated with different colors for different effects.

They are an alternative option. Such reflectors are a textile fabric stretched over a metal frame, which can be conveniently packaged in lightweight packaging. - the most common option. With them, you have at your disposal five different surfaces at once. The light disc is most often used for portraits, macro photography and product photography.

5-in-1 surfaces

Most often, such reflectors have 5 canvases of primary colors: white, black, metallic silver, metallic gold and translucent. The diffusion surface is the fifth part of the 5-in-1 system. Instead of acting as a reflector, it acts as a diffuser for light passing through it.

Below are sample photos. They were all shot against the light. See the difference when using reflectors of one color or another when shooting.

No reflector. The vase is too dark, no light shines on it

White ... The surface does not change the color or nature of the light it reflects. The light is pleasantly diffused and very natural. White surfaces are often used to lighten shadows caused by strong sunlight. They also play the same role in the studio when you use one of the harsher types of lighting.

An example of a photo where a white reflector was used. The vase is shrouded in soft diffused light

Silver. The reflected light is relatively cold and strong. It models objects more, does not look natural and is more noticeable in photography. Use it when the light from the white reflector is not strong enough.

An example of a photo where a silver reflector was used. The light reveals more detail than the white reflector example

Gold. Similar to silver reflectors, they emit fairly intense light, but they also add a warm hue, reminiscent of sunset light, and therefore simulate evening lighting during daytime. This makes them especially useful for taking portrait photos.

An example of a photo where a gold reflector was used. The light source is similar to a silver reflector, but its colors are shifted towards warmer tones.

Black. Unlike other surfaces, black absorbs light rather than reflecting it. Thus, you can use a black canvas for the opposite purpose. Instead of lightening the shadows, you can deepen them on the contrary. Such a surface is useful when there is a lot of natural light, but it is so diffuse that it does not sufficiently frame your subject. Adding shadows is known to add depth to a photograph.

An example of a photo where a black reflector was used. With this type of lighting (backlighting), a black reflector is counterproductive.

When the reflector is often folded, grooves and curves appear on the surface of the reflector. This should not affect the quality of the reflected light in normal use, and therefore nothing to worry about. However, cheap reflectors can have a problem in which large areas of the reflective layer flake off, and this should be considered when choosing them.

Sizes and shapes of reflectors

The most common shape for universal folding reflectors is a circle, and for large reflectors it is a rectangle with rounded corners. There are also specially shaped reflectors for a specific genre.

Triangular blades with built-in grips are also quite common, you can hold them in one hand and the camera in the other.

You can buy folding reflectors ranging in size from ten centimeters to several meters. Small reflectors are useful for macro and product photography. Although, on the other hand, the presence of a special reflector only for a narrow genre is an unnecessary luxury. In these types of photography, you can easily replace the reflector with folded paper or a small piece of polystyrene.

Medium reflectors around 40 centimeters in size are useful for portraits. In the meantime, reflectors larger than 1.5 meters come in handy for full height and group shots. You can also use large reflectors as backgrounds.

Working with a reflector

In scenes where there is no movement, such as grocery or macro photography, you can usually do without an assistant. Your camera will stand on, so your hands are free to grip the reflector.

In portrait photography, it is quite often required, which means you need to hold the camera in your hands, so you need an assistant. If you don't have an assistant, your model can also help with the reflector.

A dedicated reflector holder mounted on a tripod is a good alternative. Sometimes you can lean the reflector against something close at hand.

When you choose where to place reflectors, the same rules apply as when using. This means that the closer you place the reflector to your subject, the more it will be in relation to him or her, and the more diffused the light will be. The reflected light will also be more intense.

When using the camera on a tripod and controlling the reflector yourself, keep in mind that you are viewing the scene from a different angle than the one that is created in the camera's viewfinder. Even if the light looks perfect from where you stand with the reflector, it can be very different in the final shot, so remember to make adjustments for this when you set up the reflector.

To work in a home studio, in addition to a flash, you will definitely need a photo reflector (aka a reflector, a light disk, a screen). A “proprietary” reflector is a structure made of a flexible frame on which a fabric is stretched, but in practice, a reflector can be a sheet of paper or a piece of fabric or foil. Reflectors come in a variety of colors, sizes and shapes, and they also have different uses.

What is a photo reflector for?

The main task of the reflector is draw shaded details in the frame, highlight areas in the shadow with reflected light. If, on the other hand, direct the flash to the reflector, use it "for transmission", then it will act as the main or additional source of diffused light, softening harsh shadows. Well, another task that the reflector also copes with is the absorption of light and the creation of deeper, even shadows. Of course, for each task you need to select different types of reflectors.

Reflector classification.

Reflectors vary in shape, size and color. In shape, they are round, rectangular, oval, triangular, etc. In size - from very small, 30 cm in diameter, to large screen panels. For work in a home studio, the best choice would be a universal reflector with a diameter of 80 to 100 cm. It is suitable for large portraits, and for waist-length, full-length, and for subject photography.

Reflector photo color.

As for the color, there is also a large selection. The best option is to immediately buy a set of reflectors of the same diameter, but in different colors. How is it convenient? The base is stretched over the frame - a white fabric that transmits light well. This is a diffuser used for transmission work. In a home studio environment, you get a diffused light effect that simulates soft daylight on a cloudy day. This does not change the color temperature. The diffuser can also work for reflection, then the subject will be illuminated with a delicate, very soft and even light. In addition to the diffuser, the set includes colored reflector covers - white, black, silver, gold, blue, green. There are 3 in 1, 5 in 1, 7 in 1 sets.

White reflector. Reflects light perfectly, does not change color temperature. Indispensable when shooting a model in the open air and in the studio. The shadows are highlighted with soft light.

Black reflector. Gives the effect of absorption of light, minimally works on reflection. Gives deep, even shadows. Does not change color temperature. Useful when shooting subjects with a reflective surface.

Silver reflector. Makes reflected light harder, more contrasting than a white reflector. The color temperature rises slightly and the light becomes colder. Most often used in cloudy weather.

Gold reflector. He is especially loved by portrait photographers. The reflected light is soft, the color temperature is slightly reduced, the skin of the models becomes smoother and warmer. Often used in glossy photography.

Green and blue reflectors usually used as a background for portraits (if further isolation of the colored background is provided in a graphics editor).

Reflectors are used in many lighting schemes and are essential for the photographer. But it doesn't make sense to buy everything right away, you first need to decide what you will shoot. For example, for a small object, a small round reflector is quite enough, and for shooting in the open air, triangular reflectors will be more convenient.

Walking through a park or city on a brisk sunny day, you probably saw strange people with huge silver or golden “plates”. Often this is a whole group of people idly wandering around shady oases, someone poses with a duck's lips, someone looks through the viewfinder, and finally some strange man lets bunnies in the face of our cute "duck", just like me when at school, in history lessons. And it would seem, well, why are you blindfolding her, you can, as they like to say “and so it will do”, for someone of course it will do, but if you looked here this is not your case.

Well, for clarity, I will show the difference between “and so it will do” and as needed. The case is as simple as the corner of a house. Imagine, you are photographing, of course, for a lot of money, and you need to shoot a couple on a hot summer day, when the sun, although already coming up, stings mercilessly, so in the backlight you get some kind of wonderful crap, like this:

Someone will now say that the photographer is a failure, chose the wrong angle, set up the camera, chose a place, and so on. But as for me, everything is much simpler - the photo does not catch on, because there is no correct lighting, because the play of light and shadow is photography. Of course, I could have chosen a different angle, light, or even photograph against the sun, but why, if there is a reflector? Compare with the following snapshot:

D800, 50mm, ISO 100, f / 5.6, 1/125

Tell me, is it better? I probably won't surprise anyone if I say that these two photos were taken at the same time, in the same place and with the same settings. The only difference is that in the second photo my good assistant, and the groom's brother, sent the “hare” directly to the newlyweds.

There is no magic here. The light falling on the reflector is unevenly reflected and partially scattered, while weakening the reflected sun rays, which fall on our newlyweds softly and pleasantly for the eye, while not only your photographic, but also from your models does not make wrinkled Asians blinded by the sultry the sun.

D800, 50mm, ISO 140, f / 5.6, 1/160

Now for the technique. First things first, you need an assistant. It was not in vain that I started talking about a group of people at the beginning of the article, because it is impossible to cope alone. It is desirable that it be a man, because sometimes you have to hold the reflector from very uncomfortable positions, and even on outstretched arms, as in the photo above, where the reflector is placed over the stand for the rose garden, and it will be extremely difficult for a little frail girl to hold back the “sail” swaying in the wind.

The task of the assistant is to catch the “hare” and direct it to the newlyweds, who are in the shadows. You can even have the sun hit the back of our models' heads, this way you create a natural light contour of the backlight, as in the photo below:

D800, 50mm, ISO 125, f / 5.6, 1/160

That's the whole technique. The trick is in the simplicity of this technique. There are no more pitfalls or additional tweaks here. You can play with two reflectors, but as for me it's not worth it, because.

because it severely limits the photographer in movement and location selection, and the effect is almost imperceptible. However, sometimes you will need more light to get the shutter speed up, for example for motion pictures, and then it may be useful.

Which reflector to choose, you ask? Take one that rolls up comfortably and takes up little space. My favorite reflector is a circle with a diameter of 110 cm, while when folded it fits in a round package with a diameter of 40 cm, and if you try, it will easily fit into a laptop compartment in a photo backpack.

For outdoor photography, you will need two types of reflector. Silver, which I used for photography and gold for warm colors. I personally prefer to photograph when the sun takes on a warm orange hue, so I don't need to further “warm” the tones. But the conditions may not always be so suitable:

D800, 50mm, ISO 400, f / 5.6, 1/200

Leaving aside the lyrics and philosophy, I would like to point out the following in the bottom line:

In order to take good photos, the reflector is not important, if you can feel the light, you will choose the right lighting without it:

D800, 50mm, ISO 100, f / 5.6, 1/250

D800, 50mm, ISO 800, f / 3.2, 1/60 (soft box)

But if you have the opportunity and resources (I mean an assistant), then be sure not to be lazy and take a reflector with you, it will help you a lot.
A good reflector is a reflector that takes up little space and can be folded into a backpack. In this case, you should not take a reflector that is less than 1m in diameter, because the reflection area will be extremely small and your assistant will need to come close to dense in order to achieve the desired effect.
When shooting with a reflector, the model should appear in the shadow, and you can even put it in backlight, thus. you will get the light outline effect.

If I missed something or you have questions, write in the comments, do not hesitate.

P.S. The reflector, by the way, can be used not only during street shooting, but also, but more about it some other time.

24264 Improving skill 0

In the world of photography, nothing happens without light. In most cases, light can be classified into two types: natural and artificial. Although some photographers prefer to use natural light, they also use studio equipment in their work. Since the photographer's job is to see and use this light to solve photographic problems, the study and practical application of reflective panels cannot be avoided. Ease of use and accessibility make them indispensable for a photographer working both in the studio and in nature, both when shooting portraits and individual subjects.

In this quick tutorial, we'll take a look at how to effectively use a reflector to enhance your photos when shooting in natural light.

If you have never used a reflector, did not hold it in your hands, have a bad idea of what to start from, and you are scared by all the variety of this accessory necessary for a photographer, let's figure it out from the very beginning.

Reflectors can be qualified according to their different technical characteristics. For example, in shape they can be round, oval, rectangular, triangular (convenience - the presence of handles for holding). By size: from the smallest for highlighting specific details up to 2 or more meters along the long side (diameter).

In addition, the ribs (frame) of a light disk are either a solid monolithic structure, or rigid, or flexible enough. In the latter case, the reflector can be folded, thereby reducing its size for subsequent transportation without much effort. This design pleases photographers with its practicality most of all, and therefore is widely used by both amateurs and professionals in photography.

Due to their surface properties, light discs are used either to reflect light (ie, to illuminate the subject), or "through" to reduce the brightness of the light flux, avoiding obvious contrast, or to absorb it. In the latter case, black light-absorbing panels are used to enhance the shadows. More often, such light discs are needed in the studio than in nature to get rid of the reflected light from walls or other objects. It also happens that they are irreplaceable when it is necessary to create the effect of a black silhouette against a brightly lit background.

Any professional reflector has (at least) two sides, so when purchasing one reflective panel, the photographer selects a convenient combination of surfaces for his needs. It can be: Gold / White (G / W), Silver / White (S / W), Gold / Silver (G / W), Black / White (B / W), Sunny / Silver (Sunfire / Silver) and others. ... A silver surface, for example, produces a colder shade of reflected light. If you are shooting not on a cloudy day, but in a very bright and sunny day, silver will allow you to get a more natural picture in terms of color rendition. The gold reflector surface can add intensity to a tanned model, making them look honey-like.

There are universal designs for reflecting light, when various surfaces can be put on (pulled) over the frame. The so-called multi-kits (5 in 1 or 7 in 1), combining all the necessary work surfaces: Gold / Silver / White / Black / Translucent (Gold / Silver / White / Black / Translucent). Needless to say, how much it simplifies the life of a photographer.

Where do you start? The first thing you need to decide on is the size. If you plan to shoot mainly individual portraits, a small reflector is the best choice. Of course, one could argue that a large reflector tends to give off a large area of soft light, but a large reflector is more difficult to use, and bounced light is often not required so much to take a technically good shot. The 80cm diameter reflector is the most common reflector that combines ease of use with good reflected light.

How to work with a reflector? A reflector does just what its name suggests - it reflects light. If you're using the silver or gold side of an accessory, don't let the model look directly at it, especially if you're shooting in the midday sun. The last thing a photographer should do is dazzle their subject. With practice, you can easily determine the distance to which the reflector should be placed in order to create a good reflection and emphasize the cut-off pattern.

When portraits are taken on an overcast or cloudy day, it is common to notice that people have dark shadows around their eyes. In such a situation, the reflector must be brought closer to the face. It should be positioned at such a distance that it just does not fall into the frame. By holding the light disc at the height of the model's chest, you can get nice soft reflected light that will illuminate the face from below from the chin to the eyes.

So, a reflector is a simple, versatile, inexpensive accessory that is essential in the life of every portrait photographer. Don't skimp on little lest you miss out on something more that will help you climb to the next stage of your creative development in photography.

All you need is photographic!