Reflectors are a GodsendFor a while now, I've been amazed at how much a picture can be improved by using a cheap reflector. I've been working with some reflectors, and found foamboard to be really amazing. Why?
- Foamboard is cheap. This was easy. A piece of white foamboard costs $2.95 for a 22"x28" surface.
- Foamboard is lightweight It's light enough to hold in your hand (try that with a softbox) but it's sturdy enough to not buckle (or potatoe-chip).
- Foamboard is versatile. You can cover this stuff with just about anything. You can make one side white, the other Mylar or gold or black or whatever you want. Thus, you can always get two reflectors at any one time.
That's not everything I figured out though. Here's some ways a reflector can be used, making it more valuable than a softbox or umbrella.
- The sun can be worked into a large light source. With a highly reflective coating and a correct position of the elements, the sun can be overpowered with the sun itself. This works because the subject is being hit by reflected sunlight at a closer distance than anything else (inverse square law) allowing you to drop your exposure about a stop below ambient. This works best in backlit situations, and allows you to use the sun as a rimlight for separation as well.
Click to see an example. - A bounced flash will create a softbox effect The foamboard surface is about the same size as a 20"x30" softbox, but is more efficient because it's a bounce source rather than a diffused source. I bounce my on-camera SB-400 off the reflector in my left hand. For me, it looks like a softbox, but is lighter and has TTL to boot. There's no need for an assistant or light stands, just shooting.
Click to see an example. - It can act as a scrim, creating instant shade. This is great when you combine it with a bounced flash. This means you can get soft light on your subject and retain the ambient without a assistants or setting up large boxes of fabric. This offers a large amount of control over the ambient.
Click to see an example.
For me, this is easy. I can pay for it in change, be completely mobile and independent, can modify the light in three different ways, and can carry two qualities of light in one hand.
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