Using a Reflector Pt. 1

Look at these two pictures of Tasha and I think you’ll notice which one was taken with a reflector. In the bottom image the shadows are not as dark, her face is brighter and you can see her eyes instead of them being black holes.

You don’t need to buy a purpose made reflector like my Lastolite - unless you want to. A photographic reflector is one of the cheapest ways to make a world of difference and improve your lighting. You can use a bit of white card, a large envelope, piece of plastic or pretty much anything that will reflect light. Word of caution though.

If you're starting out using a reflector don't try using a mirror because that would be like shining a high power beam of direct light onto your subject and that's going to be too much. Stick to bright white matt surfaces for now.

When you understand how to use a reflector you’ll improve all areas of photography from portraits to still lifes, you can even use them to improve lighting - by removing light and in this video we’ll show you how simple it all is.