Reasons To Use A Silver Reflector

Bryce Wilson

I did a quicky shot for a young man that needed something quickly (next day) for a publication. Used a simple one light set up with a large silver reflector I recently purchased off of Craigslist. I've not used silver before and I see that it gives a bit of a surreal quality to the light. Not sure that I like it for this application.

What would be reasons for using silver as opposed to white? I understand the warming effect of gold, but am a bit uncertain as to what silver can bring to the table and under what circumstances it would or should be selected.

Thanks for any info you care to share....

Here is the shot in question.

anonymouscuban

I can't really comment on the proper application of a silver vs. white reflector since I have yet to figure it out myself but I don't think the issue here is the silver reflector. What I don't like is that the light is "pointed" at his face and I believe for men, you want the light pointed more towards the chest. This will give the light/shadows a more masculine feel.

Who knows though... I could be talking out of my butt here.

Nikolai

Silver reflector gives you a higher output/more concentrated (i.e. sharper) light. White is a bit weaker, but way softer. You can think of a silver one like a stop-over between a white one and a mirror.

divamum

Nikolai wrote: »

Silver reflector gives you a higher output/more concentrated (i.e. sharper) light. White is a bit weaker, but way softer. You can think of a silver one like a stop-over between a white one and a mirror.

^^^This has been my experience. While I prefer the softer look of white, when my main light source is a little weaker (eg when indoors using cloudy daylight through windows) the silver side simply ups the lumens I can eke out of it on the fill side.

In this shot, it feels like the main is a little hot on his face (see forehead spot); the fill side looks fine to me.

Nikolai

Come think of it, mirrors kinda *are* very fine silver reflectors wink

Bryce Wilson

OK, I understand the strength issue. That would be logical even to my challenged intellect. But, I seem to see a (can't find the right word to describe it) sheen or glow on the subject that I've not encountered before. I attributed it to the use of the reflector. It's a large one, about 6 foot by 4 foot. Guy sold it cheap because he couldn't figure out how to fold it up to get back into the bag:D. Anyway...

Am I seeing things, or is that "glow" from the reflector?

Nikolai

Bryce Wilson wrote: »

OK, I understand the strength issue. That would be logical even to my challenged intellect. But, I seem to see a (can't find the right word to describe it) sheen or glow on the subject that I've not encountered before. I attributed it to the use of the reflector. It's a large one, about 6 foot by 4 foot. Guy sold it cheap because he couldn't figure out how to fold it up to get back into the bag:D. Anyway...

Am I seeing things, or is that "glow" from the reflector?

Since it has fairly little light loss, it can deliver a punch. Also, since it's rarely 100% straight, the curvatures may act like convex mirrors and actully *increase* the light concentration in thier focal areas.

4'x6' - nice! You can use in on the beach/outdoors for full height body shots. Of course, you also have to have a VASPHLS (Voice-Activated Self-Propelling Human Light Stand) to operate it...

Hackbone

Bryce, your exposure and color seem off a tad on my laptop. Your readings of the highlights are in the high 245's. Your main looks in the correct placement vertically but you could have moved it more to the rear to get the Rembrandt light pattern. You've got more of a modified loop. Keep your subject more to the very back of the box. Most people place the reflector wayyyyyy over to the opposite side of the subject, I've always been told to keep it more forward or closer to you then aim it.

Check your temperature and see how close your are to 5200, that generally gives me pleasing skin tones. Agree with Nik on white and silver. I've got a large gold/silver also and never use the gold.

Bryce Wilson

Hackbone wrote: »

Bryce, your exposure and color seem off a tad on my laptop. Your readings of the highlights are in the high 245's. Your main looks in the correct placement vertically but you could have moved it more to the rear to get the Rembrandt light pattern. You've got more of a modified loop. Keep your subject more to the very back of the box. Most people place the reflector wayyyyyy over to the opposite side of the subject, I've always been told to keep it more forward or closer to you then aim it.

Check your temperature and see how close your are to 5200, that generally gives me pleasing skin tones. Agree with Nik on white and silver. I've got a large gold/silver also and never use the gold.

Thanks for the advice. Pray tell, what is the easiest way to check temperature on a .jpg?

Cowboydoug

Specular highlights Bryce... but I think you have a bit of WB issue as well... Put the curves to it baby... ?
The 2nd catchlight is killing me too...

scotthofferphotography

???? Is it me or is there a blue glow around his head ???? it appear to be in the background ??? no on his skin ??? almost like I can see paint brush strokes or something around him ???

Hackbone

Bryce, I set my color temp on the camera, don't know if yours will do that. You'll have to check that but I get very pleasing skin tones in and out right out of the camera generally.

Are you shooting raw or jpeg? When adjusting your raw files you can set the temp there. Everyone seems to be going to LightRoom but I use Capture One for raw files only because I know it and don't want to learn another system. The top ones do just about the same thing anyhow in my humble opinion.

divamum

Bryce, you now have Lightroom. Go to the "develop" panel, making sure the "navigator" image in the upper left hand corner is open. Click the eyedropper and find either neutral gray (his tie maybe?) or even the white of his eye. The navigator will show you a preview of the WB change; click on the image wherever you think the preview looks appealing.

If you hate it ctrl+z (or the undo pulldown from the edit menu) will go right back to where you were.

OR you can click on the choices in the WB area that give you as shot/auto/custom and (depending on where the image is in the editing process and what kind of file it is) cloudy/sunny/tungsten etc etc. I usually try auto to see what it will give me; sometimes I agree with it, sometimes I don't.

Yes, this will work on jpgs, although you don't have as much wiggle room as you would in a raw file.

Cowboydoug

scotthofferphotography wrote: »

???? Is it me or is there a blue glow around his head ???? it appear to be in the background ??? no on his skin ??? almost like I can see paint brush strokes or something around him ???

I see what you're talking about... weird-O-rama...

dang Bryce...you broke the dang thing...

Bilsen

I don't have the tech knowledge yet to talk about silver vs white BUT other than his forehead being a bit hot, I like the image.

scotthofferphotography

I was wondering if I was the only one that see's the blue around him.. I guess me and Doug have the only weird monitors that show it lol...

Hackbone

No blue here.

Bryce Wilson

No, I see it too! It's weird. I'm gonna do a rework and see if it goes away.

Thanks Diva, gonna give it a shot.

Charles, these were shot at 5500.

Bryce Wilson

Yeah, that's the ticket!

I think I might just get to like this Lightroom program. I may even start shooting raw more as I don't have to take the time to physically convert the files.

This is the Lightroom re-work. Corrected white balance as Diva suggested and brought down the exposure a half a stop.

Unfortunately, it's too late for the lad, but as the picture was used in a local community rag and was printed in black and white, it looked ok. No harm no foul.

divamum

scotthofferphotography wrote: »

???? Is it me or is there a blue glow around his head ???? it appear to be in the background ??? no on his skin ??? almost like I can see paint brush strokes or something around him ???

I've looked at this shot on three different monitors and don't see any blue glow. Weird.

LR for the win! Adjusted shot looks great.

Mike J

Hackbone wrote: »

Bryce, your exposure and color seem off a tad on my laptop. Your readings of the highlights are in the high 245's. Your main looks in the correct placement vertically but you could have moved it more to the rear to get the Rembrandt light pattern. You've got more of a modified loop. Keep your subject more to the very back of the box. Most people place the reflector wayyyyyy over to the opposite side of the subject, I've always been told to keep it more forward or closer to you then aim it.

Check your temperature and see how close your are to 5200, that generally gives me pleasing skin tones. Agree with Nik on white and silver. I've got a large gold/silver also and never use the gold.

Hackbone - you just further confirmed what we talked about in the lighting class that I'm taking. I was just taught that the reflector (bounce card) should actually be up high very close to the camera axis. This way it helps wrap the light around rather than bouncing it back and creating cross-lighting.

Cowboydoug

Bingo... Bryce... are you using LR3 or 4?

Bryce Wilson

Cowboydoug wrote: »

Bingo... Bryce... are you using LR3 or 4?

Just bought 3. Are you telling me that by the time I get THIS figured out, I'm gonna have to upgrade?

scotthofferphotography

the blue is gone now.. Nice job Bryce.

Cowboydoug

Bryce Wilson wrote: »

Just bought 3. Are you telling me that by the time I get THIS figured out, I'm gonna have to upgrade?

LR4 Beta is out... Lots of new thingies...
But don't go jumping into it thinking you can simply move your catalogs back & forth... From what I read you can YET... Worth checking out. I love it so far.