Using a Reflector

It’s one of the simplest items in a photographer’s arsenal, and also one of the most useful. ?In this tutorial we’ll show you six ways to use a reflector to get the very best out of your portraits.

Reflectors might seem like a very basic piece of photographic equipment. They can, however, improve your images immeasurably, so long as you know how to get the most out of them.

Light travels in all directions, bouncing off of everything in its path, and you can use this quality to your advantage. You can, for example, ?use a reflector to bounce light from a studio flash back onto your subject, instead of adding an extra ‘fill’ light to your lighting set-up.

Pairing a reflector with a flash or studio flash like this is a great way to create attractive, even lighting. A reflector also comes in handy when shooting on location, because you can bounce light into shadows, fill in dark eye sockets and even block out harsh light sources altogether.

And, as you’ll see from our six steps below, reflectors aren’t just useful for reflecting light – they can also be used to diffuse it.

Most modern reflectors fold away, making them very portable. They also usually boast multiple surfaces; some are double-sided, and more elaborate models may have interchangeable covers for maximum versatility.

A plain white surface will give a neutral light, silver offers increased brightness (and often cooler tones), while gold produces a warm colour cast. Black will prevent any reflection of light at all, which is useful if you’re after a strong high-contrast effect.

If you’re shooting at home and just want to see the effect for yourself, you can create a simple DIY reflector by covering a sheet of card with kitchen foil; use white card and you’ll have made yourself a silver/white double-sided reflector. Here’s how to get the most out of it…

How to use a reflector for six different effects

01 Bounce light back
The standard use for a reflector is to bounce light back at your model. When your subject is lit from one side, holding a reflector up to the shaded side will balance things by filling in the shadows. You will be able to see the difference made by tilting the reflector towards the light source.

02 Light faces from below
When the sun’s overhead, you can get rather unflattering shadows on your subject’s face. Holding a reflector under their chin will bounce the light back in underneath. This fills in those shadows and gives a much nicer soft light across the image, which complements the skin tones.

03 Make a spotlight
You can create a spotlight effect using the silver or gold sides of the reflector, which are highly reflective. When your model is in the shade, stand back and angle the reflector between the sun and the model, creating a spotlight which you can target wherever you’d like to light.

04 Diffuse the light
Take the cover off most reflectors and you’ll find a diffuser that allows a limited amount of light to pass through it. To soften harsh highlights created by strong sunlight or flash, simply hold the reflector between your sun or flash and the model to create some ready-made shade.

Fan the hair
For classic windswept hair, bend the reflector slightly into a scoop; this will stiffen it so you can move it without it flapping around. You can then use it to fan your model. Do this from the front, and keep within 90 degrees of the camera to avoid their hair blowing in front of their face.

 Banish reflections

You can also use a reflector to get rid of unwanted reflections. Eyes will reflect what is around them, but if you hold up the white or black side of your reflector in front of what’s being reflected, this will replace the reflection with the flat, neural tone of the reflector.

Final Tip
Though it is possible to hold a reflector yourself, or balance one in place, an assistant will make your shoot significantly easier. They can hold your reflector where you’d like and direct it very precisely.