Lighting/Backdrops

[Melissa Royal]

Hello,
I will be taking a minor in photography (maybe major) in college (start this fall), but
I'm trying to get a head start on the more complex areas of photography. I'm farmilar
with lenses, exposure, aperture, shutter speed, etc. The thing I don't know is how
to effectively use lighting or backdrops. Does anyone have suggestions or some
resources on these things? Thanks!

I received a comment on one of my photos that the lighting was bad.
I was told to use a reflector to make the light better, does anyone have suggestions on that?
Preferably somewhat cheap. And are there different kinds of reflectors? If so, which one
would work best for a situation like this? I may retry the shot (or a similar one).
I am unfortunately having trouble uploading the photo here though,
so here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=233752939987541&set=a.210910965605072.66869.183363231693179&type=1&theater

 

[ngaerlan]

I just purchased a reflector on amazon for $17.00 including shipping, it comes with a bag, a gold, silver and white reflector, just as long as it reflects light I don't think brand and cost would matter.

www.eternal8photography.com

 

[Big Mike]

There are plenty of cheap ideas for reflectors. You could use a white foam core board from Staples etc.

As mentioned, there are plenty of cheap reflectors available, and while they will do the job of reflecting light...they may not be idea for 'professional' work. Reason being is that the cheap ones may or may not be color neutral. In other words, while they may look white, they may reflect light that has a slight color cast. For some people, that won't be a big deal...but for those who are perfectionists, they won't want that color cast to affect their images....which is why they would use 'brand name' reflectors & photo gear.

So what is your end goal for taking photography in college? Do you wish to have a career as a photographer? If so, in what capacity? Do you want to be your own business? Do you want to cater to the public (portraits, weddings etc.) or would you rather work in commercial / advertising photography?
I ask because if you have a goal in mind, you can take a more specific path to get there...and majoring (or minoring) in photography at college, may or may not be the best path to reach your goals.

 

[Melissa Royal]

I just purchased a reflector on amazon for $17.00 including shipping, it comes with a bag, a gold, silver and white reflector, just as long as it reflects light I don't think brand and cost would matter.

www.eternal8photography.com

Thanks! =)

There are plenty of cheap ideas for reflectors. You could use a white foam core board from Staples etc.

As mentioned, there are plenty of cheap reflectors available, and while they will do the job of reflecting light...they may not be idea for 'professional' work. Reason being is that the cheap ones may or may not be color neutral. In other words, while they may look white, they may reflect light that has a slight color cast. For some people, that won't be a big deal...but for those who are perfectionists, they won't want that color cast to affect their images....which is why they would use 'brand name' reflectors & photo gear.

So what is your end goal for taking photography in college? Do you wish to have a career as a photographer? If so, in what capacity? Do you want to be your own business? Do you want to cater to the public (portraits, weddings etc.) or would you rather work in commercial / advertising photography?
I ask because if you have a goal in mind, you can take a more specific path to get there...and majoring (or minoring) in photography at college, may or may not be the best path to reach your goals.

What does it mean to reflect light that has a slight color cast?
I'm thinking of being a photojournalist, but I also really enjoy taking pictures of nature, wildlife, pets, people, etc. I do a little bit of everything.
Just recently though I have gotten very interested in taking pictures of people. So, I'm not 100% sure where I want to go with it, but I know
that I enjoy it and will want to do something with it. My major is Communications but I may do a double major w/ photography.

 

[TordFuglstad]

I bought a reflector on eBay, dirt cheap. And it is VERY good. It's 5-in-1, so it as a gold, silver, white, black and "diffuser" side.
The white is pure white, and it works very good. It's 84 cm so it's pretty damn big as well. Highly recommended!

 

[Big Mike]

What does it mean to reflect light that has a slight color cast?

It means that the reflector will change the color (color temperature) of the light. So for example, if you were using it in a studio, you might have a studio light hitting your subject's left side and you might use the reflector to bounce some light back onto their right side. But if the reflector isn't truly color neutral, the subject's right side might show a bit of whatever color the reflector is giving off.

With good quality reflectors, the light on both sides would have the same color.

I'm thinking of being a photojournalist, but I also really enjoy taking pictures of nature, wildlife, pets, people, etc. I do a little bit of everything.
Just recently though I have gotten very interested in taking pictures of people. So, I'm not 100% sure where I want to go with it, but I know
that I enjoy it and will want to do something with it. My major is Communications but I may do a double major w/ photography.

Photojournalist sounds like an exciting, interesting career. Might be a tough go though. Maybe do some career investigation and interview a few of them to get a gauge on what it's like.
As for the other stuff, that's great...but I'd consider whether it's worth majoring in photography for. If you really want to have fun with photography, then go to school to become a dentist or something like that. That way, you'll actually be able to afford all the cool photography equipment that you'll want.
And while you didn't mention weddings or portraits (but did mention people), that is something that could be a career option for a photographer. But when someone asks about the path for doing that, I'd recommend getting an education in business, rather than photography. Way too many good photographers fail because they don't have the business skills to make it.....and of course, there are plenty of mediocre photographers making plenty of money because they are good at the business/sales side of it.

 

[kasperjd4]

For that picture you linked to, notice their faces are completely in dark shadow. Also the photo is pretty flat and relatively monotone. You could have used a reflector to bounce sunlight back into their body's to fill in their faces & make them pop out of the scene.

 

[susanne1776]

Looking at the picture, I'd use a fill flash. for most of the day, your flash will not override the sun and since your flash is balanced for daylight it will not add light with different color to your picture. if the flash light stands out as being cooler, then hold an orange flash filter in front of your flash. and bracket your light the filter will cut down the flash a little.