reflectors

[jols]

just be looking at purchasing some reflectors.

white black gold silver and transparent

they are not expensive but thoughtid ask you guys first

1. do u use them?

2. do you like them?

3. what reflector is best for what?

ive read up on them on the web but wanted comments from "real" people ha ha

 

[Big Mike]

I like the idea of the 5-in-1 reflectors...especially a big one, because the 5th reflector is just a diffusion screen, which can be great when you have to shoot in direct sunlight.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

I've got one small Lastolite that's around 15" across. It comes with a selection of covers, so it can be gold, silver, sunlight or white. Very handy though the next time I'm using it, my beautiful assistant is going to have to have rather more OJT.

 

[jols]

thse are 110cm wide and average about 10 to 15 pound on e bay.

so its worth it u think?

and gives me an excuse to experiment ha ha

thans for the replies

 

[RyanLilly]

I've spent more money on less useful things. I really like the type that you can collapse into a small circle for transport and then they sort of pop out to full size when you need to use them.

 

[jols]

i think i will go ahead and order

cheers guys nothing negative from you which was what i was hoping

 

[Cero21]

I purchased 3 reflectors from ebay. 22 33 and 44 inches. I've only used the 33 but it made me buy the other two. They are really useful and cheap. Especially when I can't afford lighting kits and flashes.

 

[Mike Jordan]

Reflectors are useful for a lot of things, but there are some things that need to be kept in mind about them.

A photo reflector reflects light... but it doesn't reflect it like a mirror (unless you use a mirror or something highly reflective like that). When you reflect light from a reflector, you have a considerable amount of light loss. You can get light loss from the light being absorbed by the reflective material, loss of light from the light that goes through the reflector and loss of light depending on how reflective the material is. Then you have the loss of light that is reflected but is reflected at angles that does not hit your subject or object being photographed.

Color also needs to be taken into consideration. Of the 3 main colors, white, silver and gold, white is used the most because it gives (or should give) a neutral color reflection and won't put a color cast in the reflected light. Silver is a more reflective material and reflects more light, but it is also a harsher light and a cooler (as in color temp) light. It can cause bright highlights to form on your subject or object, which might not be what you want. Gold is used to produce warm tones, very much like the light you get from a sunset. The color cast this creates might not fit in with the color temps you are trying to create but is good for warming up an image.

Black reflectors are often used to absorb light and to block light.

Another aspect that people sometimes over look, is the size. A too small reflector is going to create a small source of light. In portraiture, it's said that your light source should be at least as big as your subject. The same goes for a reflector. Many people use reflectors in the 36" range. For people and larger objects, these are just to small to give a wider amount of reflected light unless you are trying to add light to a small area. If you have seen professional studios and outdoor setups, you have probably seen the 6' and larger reflectors.

Distance is where most seem to fall short though... If you have a 45" reflector and you stand 6' or more back from the subject, you are not getting a lot of light reflected on the subject. Most of it is being lost as mentioned above. Reflectors (in most cases) need to be used up close... right at the edge of where the picture is going to be cropped close. Yet many people not familiar with reflectors will hold them way back and then when they look at their images think that the reflector isn't doing any good. This is why a lot of reflectors sit in the corner unused... or are used but they really don't help the image.

Reflectors can be great for a lot of things... but like so much of photography equipment, you have to learn to use them.

Mike

 

[jols]

thanks for that info mike.

i shall be using it and snapping away to my heats content