Need help with natural light + reflector

[JeffieLove]

Okay, so this is assignment related again...

The assignment that is due next Tuesday for my photography class is to use natural light and a reflector... Well, I went out this evening with my daughter (model) and my best friend's 12 year old daughter as my assistant (she's all I have...) and I KNOW it didn't go very well... I was wondering if someone could look at a couple photos and tell me what I did wrong as far as positioning the reflector, etc... These are all SOOC, no crop, no light adjustments or anything...

Sun was to camera left, reflector to right of model.
Settings: ISO 400, f/5.6 1/2000ss, Canon XSI 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

In this photo, she is standing just at the edge of the shade. Sun is to the right and very slightly behind me, reflector is just in front and to the left of me.
Settings: ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/500ss, Canon XSI 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

Please help! I'll be attempting this again sometime between now and Monday and would like to have better direction on where to go with this. I feel so lost now!

 

[Vtec44]

I had a chance to use a silver reflector in full sun this weekend and it worked very well, a little too well. A couple of models complained that the reflected light was too much and caused them to squint their eyes. We ended up moving the reflectors about 20-30ft from the models and used the soft white up close.

 

[Raian-san]

#1 and 3 is too much light reflecting and #2 too little. Was the reflector along side of her cheek? I notice her inner left cheek and nose area has shadow and dark spot. You should move the reflector toward you a bit and aim it at a 45 degree angle toward her left face that's away from the sun and in need of the reflector. That way her whole left side will be filled, and try to tell the assistant to move back and forward so you can fill just right amount like her other cheek or sometime it's better to be slightly less lighter than other side with the sun.

#4 would had the right amount filled but if you move toward the left a big with the reflector, it'll fill up her nose area.

 

[joealcantar]

Believe you needed to move her into darker shade then hit her with the reflected light. Keep in mind that she is squinting because you probably did not feather the reflection (catching the edge of the reflector). On the last image that you have posted I see where I may have placed her, see those small patches of light shining down near the tree and Ivy, put a chair there and sit her down or have her kneel on the chair, if okay to stand cool. Use the light coming in as "backlighting" and hitting the hair/back of head (if too harsh diffuse it with the diffuser in the kit) then take your reflector and have someone feather the "fill" side of the face (the part of the face that is getting less light, that way you get a ratio that works for the subject.
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Shoot well, Joe

 

[JeffieLove]

Okay, so long story short, silver reflector needed to be further away and angled more and not directly pointing at her? Is that the jist I'm getting?

But if I used the white instead of silver, up close is better? Right?

 

[joealcantar]

Yes to the above. If you use the white and are up close it will be a softer light. If you use the silver you can basically stand way back and shine that light in there. If the light is too harsh you can even diffuse it with the white one up close. You can even have them close their eyes while you work with the reflector and give it a count and have them open them so you don't blind them.
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Here I was using a reflector and a light to get a certain look, you move it back or up depending on what you want for a ratio.

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[Raian-san]

The silver reflector give a very shiny and bright light, it's better to use white in direct sunlight. You can see how much light is hitting the face when you have the reflector aim toward her face and the assistant have to walk forward or backward depend on the lighting. The angle of the reflector also determine how much light hitting her face so you have to just look and tell the assistant to move around to find the perfect light hitting her face.

 

[zabulondesigns]

You mentioned the sun was behind you meaning it was in the model eyes. That explains why she is squinting and too much sun.

 

[JeffieLove]

You mentioned the sun was behind you meaning it was in the model eyes. That explains why she is squinting and too much sun.

In the 4 where she is sitting - the sun is actually directly to her right (my left) and the reflector is just slightly in front of her to my right (her left)... The sun is slightly in front of her in the photo where she is standing in the shade

 

[OrionsByte]

You know what my thought was when I looked at these? "Light sandwich." It looks (and sounds) like you've got the sun and reflector hitting the model and almost exactly opposite angles. I tended to do the same thing when I first started using reflectors, but really it's not the best way to use them.

The first decision you need to make is: what is your main (key) light?

If your main light is the sun, put your model in the sunlight and study the shadows on her face. Where are they too harsh? Where are they defining depth? Then position your reflector to lighten/soften the shadows. You don't want to flatten out the light, you just want to reduce the contrast on the face. A white reflector would probably work best in this situation.

If you want your reflector to act as the main light, then you need your model to be in the shade, and then position the reflector in such a way that it puts the shadows where you want them. Like others have said, a white reflector closer to the subject will provide softer light, but the silver reflector will be brighter and harsher, which might server you better depending on the look your going for.

The nice thing about reflectors is that you can see the result of different angles and such right away, without even taking a shot. So experiment a bit before you even get behind the camera and see how the light behaves, and you should be able to find the balance you're looking for.