By photography
reflectors, we mean any item which
is used to echo light towards the subject. The reflectors can be used
with flash. If you don’t have off-camera flash, reflectors are a
perfect way to get specialized lighting effect without using any
professional photography equipment. They are placed either on a stand
or any other support. Another way to use reflectors is an assistant
can hold them to direct light towards the subject. They are usually
held at an angle equal from the subject and the source of light.
Reflectors differ
in size, depending upon the subject’s size and the amount of light
required. There is no fixed shape of the reflectors… some are
rectangle-shaped, some are square and some are round. The most common
type of reflectors is umbrella reflectors. Umbrella needs to be
affixed to the clamp in front of the studio light. Another common
type of reflectors is available as hand-held devices… such
reflectors are known as collapsible reflectors. A collapsible
reflector is the one which has usually different colors on both
sides, generally a combination of gold, silver, black and white.
There are
basically two solutions to the problem of shadows – redirect the
available light and add more lights. The areas which are usually
affected by shadows include the areas under nose, chin and eyes etc.
Reflectors are employed by bouncing the light which is available and
filling shadows with highlights. An assistant is good to be used to
influence the reflector in order to bounce the light inversely
proportional to the position of the photographer. In simple words, if
a photographer is taking shot from a low angle, the reflector should
reflect the light down. However, if a photographer is taking shot
from a high angle, the reflector should be held from lower
perspective. There are not any fixed rules dictating the best
perspective.
