The Photography Reflector - An Underused Asset!

The photography reflector is a very useful virtually indispensable photography tool. Here are a few pointers on how you can use photography reflectors to give your photos a polished professional look. It's all about the shadows!First...What is a reflector.A photography reflector is - in reality - a substitute light source! But, it has the added advantage of costing next to nothing, being easily set up and positioned and the light is more easily controlled.It can be ANY object used to reflect light onto our subject. It can be a mirror, a professionally made rip-stop nylon reflector, a piece of white paper or poster board, a white wall or even the side of a white truck! Anything that will kick light onto our subject is useful.Or, by using a black reflector, we can subdue the light and build up the shadow side of our model!Be careful of using colored reflective materials though, because they can reflect a color cast onto our model that could ruin the shot.Why use photography reflectors?To get a really polished and professional looking shot, we need to have both highlights AND shadows. It's the shadows that define shape and make our subject appear 3D.To get both a lit side and a shadowed side, our main light - could be an on camera flash, a studio strobe or just the sun...needs to be positioned to the side of our model. This will create a shadowed side - but the shadow will almost always be too dark. We need to see details of the face in the shadows! Not just pure black.Enter the "fill light". It's called this because "fills in" the shadow with light so we can see detail.But, most of us don't have the budget to buy an extra studio strobe (they can cost hundreds of dollars.) So, we replace the studio strobe with a reflector!For only couple bucks, a reflector can act as a second light source and "fill" in the shadows for us! Giving us that polished, 3 dimensional portrait we've been wanting - for next to no cost!There are other lights that can be replaced by reflectors as well! The hair light, the "kicker" the background separation light and so on.By the judicious use of photography reflectors we could have a truly professional 5 light set-up for next to no cost! It's easy! Start using a photography reflector today and you will immediately see an improvement in your portraits!