Friday, April 06, 2012

Tutorial Tuesday - Using Reflectors

Sarah from Naptime Momtog and Ashley from Ramblings & Photos have started a new meme! This link-up is called Tutorial Tuesday. They will give us a challenge or a new tutorial, and we post our results.


Tutorial Tuesday


Yes, I know. Today is Friday. It's been a long week.

This week, they briefly discussed the use of reflectors for portrait shots. I have 2 reflectors, a 22" and a 42", both from Flashpoint and both with 5 colors (translucent, white, black, silver, and soft gold. They've been incredibly helpful when photographing newborns.

When I photographed Lucas last week, my main source of natural light was sunlight streaming through a large window in the living room. Each time we moved him into a different position, I would test my lighting as he was settling back into his deep sleep. For the shots below, my first photo was my tester without a reflector. My light source was to the right. In the second photo, I propped the reflector (I think I was using the small one at this point) up against the arm of the couch and then held it angled toward Lucas's face with my left hand. My camera was propped on my knee so I could use my right hand to adjust settings. Both of these photos are unposed, unprocessed, simple test shots.


Obviously, using my reflector made a significant difference in the lighting on his face. Less shadows under his nose and eyes. Definitely a smart investment there!


*Stay tuned tomorrow for a preview of Lucas's session!


2 comments:

Ashley Sisk said...

It really makes a huge difference. I wish I had used my reflector the first time I did a newborn session - now I know.

Angela2932 said...

Very definite difference with the reflector! I really like how it brightens up his totally adorable, sweet, little face and reduces the shadows! I'm regretting that I haven't played with my reflector before this, but now I know!