Fill light. When do you use a light and when do you use a reflector?

[TMR Design]

Assuming you have a choice of using a dedicated strobe or a reflector as fill, which do you use and why? If you have the light do you use it all the time? or are there times that you intentionally select a reflector?

I've been playing with reflectors and would like to know how you choose between light and reflector. Advantages/disadvantages or each?

[Wilt]

Both are light sources for photographic purposes, but they each have pros and cons!

You have little setup time on a reflector, compared to a light.
You have little additional space requirement on a reflector, compared to a light.
You have much less cost on a reflector, compared to a light.

You have no intensity control on a reflector, compared to a light.
You have little adjustment of the light distribution pattern on a reflectork, compared to using modifiers on a light.

Within the bounds of their inherent limitations mentioned, they are interchangeable

[TMR Design]

You have no intensity control on a reflector, compared to a light.

Really? When I was doing some testing I was able to change my meter reading by bringing the reflector closer to the subject. Isn't that increasing intensity?

[Wilt]

Really? When I was doing some testing I was able to change my meter reading by bringing the reflector closer to the subject. Isn't that increasing intensity?

Yes, you're right!

[TMR Design]

So then given the choice would you choose a reflector if you had lights to use and control with modifiers, or do you find situations that warrant using the reflector as a better choice?

[Wilt]

Sometimes, with environmental and location portraiture, KISS is the key principle, and the reflector meets that!

[TMR Design]

Sometimes, with environmental and location portraiture, KISS is the key principle, and the reflector meets that!

I must have been absent from class when the acronym KISS was discussed..lol
What does that mean?

[MDJAK]

Keep It Simple Stupid.

Actually, Wilt's first response is dead on the money.

[MDJAK]

I actually wondered exactly the same thing. I recently attended a seminar given by monte zucker, www.montezucker.com , and Eddie Tapp, to reknowned people in photographic circles.

The seminar was on lighting for the studio portrait.

I won't get into the lighting they used, unless requested, but they had an assistant hold a reflector on one side of the person's face to light it, besides the light from one side and a hair light on a boom.

I asked Monte why a reflector and not a light on the other side, and his answer was almost exactly as the one above.

mark

[TMR Design]

Thank you. That makes perfect sense. In the testing I was doing with the reflector (I had a sheet of poster paper taped to a lightstand) I found I could change the angle or directionality of the light hitting the subject as well as control the measured incident light reading by moving it closer or further. The process of setting up one light, hanging the reflector, making a few adjustments, and shooting was fun. I felt I had achieved a fairly nice, 2:1ish looking lighting. I enjoyed the simplicity of it.
I've always used the expression "Less is More" to mean very much the same thing as KISS.

[cosworth]

My flash never comes off the body. Fill all the time. Except Thursdays when I shoot Hobie racing.

[Lotto]

For 1 or 2 subjects, I like to use a reflector, because of the shadows like more natual and less light spill into the background.

For larger group, I use a second light for fill.

[gcobb]

My flash never comes off the body. Fill all the time. Except Thursdays when I shoot Hobie racing.

If I'm shooting people the flash is always on as a fill. I've also used a 42" silver reflector to assist with even lighting on an overcast day outside once. It worked good. In a few photos it almost looked a little hot. I'm new to the reflector thing.

[TMR Design]

For 1 or 2 subjects, I like to use a reflector, because of the shadows like more natual and less light spill into the background.

Very good point. I'm finding this very interesting.
The other thing I noticed was that using a reflector eliminates the second catchlight (I know, an easy PhotoShop fix but I like to process and 'clone' as little as possible) and gives a more natural look to the eyes.

[TMR Design]

Can anyone recommend a reflector size that would be appropriate and somewhat generic for headshots or head and shoulder shots?

[jrjphoto]

My 32" 5-in-1 works splendidly for headshots and slightly less fabulous with 1/2 portraits. 3/4 portraits work okay if you don't mind the light fall-off.

[Benji]

One distinct advantage to a fill light is its light will 100% of the time fire the optical slaves on my main, hair, background and kicker lights. A reflector just will not do it.

Benji

[ootsk]

As for reflector size, I go as large as I can get. Larger light sources appear softer. And you DO get catchlights from reflectors if they're in the right (or wrong) position.

[puzzle]

Eliminating the second catchlight ? Is this a disirable effect somehow? I tend to find that having an even catchlight in both eyes (like the example above) give a much more pleasing shot.

If I have understoof correctly, to acheive a softer fill light, it could pay off in certain situations to fire the fill light strainght into a reflector rather than firing the light directly into the subject? This would give a softer light?

[Hermes]

I use a separate fill light about 80% of the time. I control my lighting very tightly and there is rarely spare light spilling over that can be reflected back as fill. On top of that, I prefer to be able to adjust the power, colour and position of my fill light entirely independently of the key light. It saves a lot of time and effort.

The 20% of the time that I use a reflector, it's almost always foam-board and I'm usually using it to save space.

There's no logic to saying that a reflector will be softer or show less of a catchlight than a softbox (unless your softboxes are particular uneven). If the two light sources are the same size and provide the same amount of fill then they'll give a similar light and catchlight. I think the problem may be that people are comparing small softboxes to large reflectors, or that they're used to overpowering fill from a softbox because they don't have low enough power settings available for subtle fill (my fill is often a 300RX on minimum power with ND gels on top of that).

Of course, there isn't always the budget or space for huge softboxes so huge reflectors may be your only choice once you reach a certain size. Even still, they will be much more controllable when they're powered by a separate fill light bounced into them.

[Mossman6]

Here's one dissadvantage to a reflector. If you shoot alone (no one to hold it) and it's a windy day, You'll have a hard time keeping the reflector down on a stand. That would mean you would have to bring sandbags to your shoot. That could be a dissadvantage to you... or not.

[TMR Design]

Wow, very old thread revived.

I do use reflectors quite a bit but since I work alone, regardless of whether I use a reflector or a strobe for fill, it still requires me to have a light stand and sand bags, and with a strobe I have even more reason to have sandbags because I'm nuts about protecting my investment.

Without an assistant there are some inconveniences that go along with that, but unless you're going to use one light source and no fill source, then we do what we must.

[alphonsis]

Hey Robert, is it weird to see a question posted by yourself from three years ago? How have your thoughts on the question changed since then?

[TMR Design]

Hey Robert, is it weird to see a question posted by yourself from three years ago? How have your thoughts on the question changed since then?

My thoughts are that after having owned and worked with many different light sources and modifiers I believe each has its place and like all that we do, it's a matter of selecting the tool that best does the job.