why ( Mirror ) is a bad reflector ?

[7up]

sometimes you need a reflector for the flash or for any light you use - to take a photo

so why ( Mirror ) is bad reflector ?



just a thought came into my mind.

[XterraJohn]

Who said that a mirror is a bad reflector?

[TweakMDS]

A mirror only changes the angle of a lightsource. It does *not* soften it at all, which is mainly what you will use a reflector for. If you use a mirror to reflect sunlight or direct flash, rather than getting a soft, shadowless fill, you get almost an identical power of light the other way, including hard shadows.
Reflecting an umbrella or softbox will give pretty decent results though.

[tim]

A mirror IS a bad diffuser, I tried it once. It's because it provides no diffusion.

[PacAce]

Originally Posted by 7up

sometimes you need a reflector for the flash or for any light you use - to take a photo

so why ( Mirror ) is bad reflector ?



just a thought came into my mind.

On the contrary, a mirror is a perfect reflector, as evidenced by the millions of them hanging in bedroom and bathroom walls all over the world.

But, as Tim pointed out, they are very poor diffusers. AAMOF, they don't diffuser the light at all unless they've become frosted on the surface.

[tim]

Originally Posted by PacAce

But, as Tim pointed out, they are very poor diffusers. AAMOF, they don't diffuser the light at all unless they've become frosted on the surface.

A jug of hot water could deal solve the problem!

[TMR Design]

Mirror's make excellent reflectors, and like any tool we use, you have to know when and how to use it. The late great Dean Collins used flexible mirrors outdoors to bounce some sunlight back on to his subjects for hair, edge and accent lights.

As others mentioned, a mirror is not a diffuser. It reflects very directional light and offers lots of contrast. When used correctly, it's a powerful modifier.

[Hermes]

Glass mirrors aren't great to use for anything larger than tabletop as they're heavy and shatter into dangerous shards pretty easily.

Unless you want the specfic effect a mirror gives you (reflection with a very defined edge), It makes a lot more sense to use a shiny silver reflector - they're lighter, safer, cheaper, more portable, and more practical in just about every way.

[badaml]

New to this as well, and I have seen some diffusers for speedlights that reflect some light forward (used as fill) while the rest is bounced. Has anyone tried to make something where if the flash is pointed one way, using a mirror with a diffuser in front to give a stronger diffused light, kind of like using a second flash?

[tim]

Originally Posted by badaml

New to this as well, and I have seen some diffusers for speedlights that reflect some light forward (used as fill) while the rest is bounced. Has anyone tried to make something where if the flash is pointed one way, using a mirror with a diffuser in front to give a stronger diffused light, kind of like using a second flash?

Kinda like this Metz flash?

Using a mirror on a flash doesn't sound like a great idea to me, the light will be too harsh.

[badaml]

Not really like that. I also said to use a diffuser, so why would the light be harsh?

Think of it this way: Point the flash straight up. Now tape a mirror to the back of the flash, so you can see yourself in the mirror. Now at the front of the flash, use a diffuser. Now the flash itself will bounce from the ceiling, but the mirror will reflect a lot of flash forward into the diffuser, giving you 2 sources of light. Now if you can make it look pretty and also adjustable, you would be all set lol. Just wondering why this hasn't been done, or if it has and is just a crappy idea lol.

[tim]

Originally Posted by badaml

Not really like that. I also said to use a diffuser, so why would the light be harsh?

Think of it this way: Point the flash straight up. Now tape a mirror to the back of the flash, so you can see yourself in the mirror. Now at the front of the flash, use a diffuser. Now the flash itself will bounce from the ceiling, but the mirror will reflect a lot of flash forward into the diffuser, giving you 2 sources of light. Now if you can make it look pretty and also adjustable, you would be all set lol. Just wondering why this hasn't been done, or if it has and is just a crappy idea lol.

It's called a bounce card, a white card comes built into a 580EX and you can buy bigger versions. The only difference putting a mirror there instead of a white card is the light will be more specular and less diffused. Putting a diffuser in front of the mirror would lose the advantage of having the mirror.

Summary: it's called a bounce card, it's been around for decades