First time with reflector C&C if you please

[Trever1t]

thank you, and all that commented.

If I can talk her into posing I'll try again this afternoon.

 

[Aye-non Oh-non Imus]

It's good that you are trying to expand your photographic knowledge and attempting to enhance your images by using new and different tools. Seldom are the results bang on right out of the gate. See the light through the viewfinder and keep practing.

 

[Trever1t]

seeing the light so to speak and manipulating it to work in my favor is what this piece of the puzzle is about for me. Thanks!

 

[KmH]

The reflector was so low, none of the light got to her eyes.

Low light like that is routinely used to make a person look sinister, not pretty.

Have you read about the basic lighting techniques - like broad lighting, short lighting, etc?

By the way, uneven shadows make a more interesting portrait.

With the sky that bright in the background, a reflector cannot provide enough light to make both the subject and the background the same exposure. You can use the in-camera meter to measure the light ratio. Spot meter the brightest part of the sky, then spot meter the highlights on the subjects face. the difference will tell you how much supplimental light you need to balance the 2.

For using flash, the GN number and the subject distance can then be used to do the simple in-the-head math calculation that tells you what aperture to use for the strobed light.

With some experience and thought, the in-the-head math becomes second nature.

 

[Trever1t]

Thanks KmH. While I understand the basic meaning of guide number I have a lot to learn in that area and the 'basic' math you reference feels like rocket science at this moment. I am reading as much as I can daily, I haven't read about the basic lighting techniques you mentioned yet, can you refer me to a source?

What's really beginning to become apparent is the intricacies of photography. Well more than a good composition and correct exposure, I feel I could spend a lifetime on a single aspect before mastering it.

 

[jake337]

Maybe try using the refector just as a fill first, not as your only light source for your subject. I would think you would need more than one for that, correct? I've played with mine a few times this summer. Sadly I don't have any computer right now so I can't get anything uploaded.