Reflectors?

KTBoom2006-E510

Can someone help me with how to use the reflectors and what colors do what? I just bought a 5 in 1 set and will be using them Friday for outside Senior Pictures. Thanks

ziggy53

Katie,

Grab someone, anyone, and practice, practice, practice until Friday.

A reflector is often used as a fill light source. It will almost always require a person to hold the reflector unless you have the proper stands and clamps to hold them. You will need to train the helper as much as you will learn in your practice so it would be good to have them helping during your practice sessions.

The nice thing about silver and white reflectors is that they will pretty much (hopefully) keep the same color temperature as the light they are reflecting. The silver surface typically reflects more than the white surface and the silver will be more "spectral" in nature. I think white is more pleasing in most cases.

If you are indoors and using flash, the reflectors will bounce about half what they are exposed to, depending on the surface, so figure around 1 stop less from the reflector. (Again this is just an approximation.) You would use them opposite the "key" light or primary light source.

Outdoors, you might shoot in shade and use reflectors for both key and fill (if you had 2 reflectors). If the sun is very flat you can use a reflector to "build" light on one side and effectively become the key light.

A reflector can also be used under the subject when the light is high and in front. This can form a type of "butterfly" lighting, which is used in some fashion photography.

That should be enough to get you started, now you need to get some practice in before the event.