Reflectors - Basics

[richardyoung]

Today I held a basic lighting workshop here in vegas. Here are the images with just a bit of retouching, this way you can see what the difference look like.


One of the things we did is work with reflectors.

Here is the difference.. ( non, silver, and gold)



So..
No Reflector

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2034/2482656750_641e533f90_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardyoungphotography/2482656750/)

Silver
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2007/2481843281_d82e8b329a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardyoungphotography/2481843281/)

Gold
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2419/2481843771_196d71a5e0_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardyoungphotography/2481843771/)

[Balliolman]

The silver shot looks very good to me! The gold is too intense on the skin and does not look good on the jacket ...

[richardyoung]

Yea.. normally I shoot with silver..

[MONK3Y_M4GIC]

i usually just use a piece of white foam core.

[tim]

I use a guy wearing a white shirt ;)

[Hermes]

never understood reflectors myself. They just kill all that lovely shadow and contrast.

[tim]

never understood reflectors myself. They just kill all that lovely shadow and contrast.

Lighting is about controlling light, dark, contrast, direction, and quantity. You change different things for different effects. Reflectors are most helpful for single light situations, i've found.

One example of too much contrast is one side of the face in direct sunlight, the other side in shadow - this doesn't work well for many types of photography. A reflector helps, but also tends to blind the subject, so isn't that helpful.

The only time i've used a reflector recently is for corporate head shots where window light is the main light source.

[yogestee]

One of the best reflectors I've owned was a 5'x4'x6" piece of polystyrene..Cost me a few bucks at the local hardware shop cut to size..

[bieber]

Why no white?

[yogestee]

Why no white?

Yeah,,,,I use white more than anything else..Much softer and even..

[SYS]

In Scott Smith's book, Studio Lighting Made Simple, he mentions emphatically NOT to use a gold reflector. Why? Because it casts yellowish hue, as you can see here to the model's side that had the gold reflector used. The only time I can think of using a gold reflector with some distance to the subject for a tint of warmth is when the sun is going down in outdoors setting...

[bieber]

Because it casts yellowish hue, as you can see here to the model's side that had the gold reflector used.

I think that's kind of the idea :/

[SYS]

I think that's kind of the idea :/

Well, idea is one thing, the result is another. ;)

[richardyoung]

Personally I am not a big fan of gold.. but it does have a lot of uses..

Also it is simply a matter of taste

if you check my flickr account

http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardyoungphotography/2481843771/

you can see that some like gold more than silver.. but again.. it is just a matter of taste..


In Scott Smith's book, Studio Lighting Made Simple, he mentions emphatically NOT to use a gold reflector. Why? Because it casts yellowish hue, as you can see here to the model's side that had the gold reflector used. The only time I can think of using a gold reflector with some distance to the subject for a tint of warmth is when the sun is going down in outdoors setting...