What if there is no reflector?

Reflecting plate is a common light supplement accessory, which can reduce the contrast between light and shade of the subject and achieve a brighter effect. It is very easy to use whether it is shooting people or shooting things. However, unless there is a certain professional demand, the average person should not buy this kind of accessories. In fact, in home life, there are also some objects that can play the role of reflectors.

Fabric category: white sheets, curtains, clothes.

Props such as white sheets, clothes and other fabrics can really reflect light when the light hits them, but the amount of reflected light is bound to decrease compared with the original amount of light, and the intensity of supplementary light is small. If you want to slightly enhance the light supplement function by reducing the light transmittance, you can choose dense sheets or curtains. For example, when shooting with natural light by the window, you can set a sheet or curtain opposite to the incident light, so that the incident light can be reflected to the subject, which will increase the details in the shadow and reduce the contrast.

Mirrors: small cosmetic mirrors, large wall mirrors.

The principle of light reflection is also called "specular reflection". As the name implies, a mirror can always reflect light, whether it is a liquid mirror (water, lake, etc.). ) or a solid mirror. Mirrors that can be used for indoor photography can be real "mirrors", ranging from small cosmetic mirrors that girls carry with them to large mirrors or full-length mirrors hanging on the wall. According to the size and area, different usage methods can be converted. For example, a small cosmetic mirror is suitable for taking small objects, while it may be ok to take portraits with a large-area mirror such as a full-length mirror.

Stationery: white cardboard, books, notebooks.

Compared with the cloth and mirror mentioned above, stationery props seem to be easier to obtain. For example, maybe only girls usually have small cosmetic mirrors, but if they are books or notebooks, there is no gender difference. Generally speaking, the density of paper is higher than that of cloth, and its reflective ability is slightly stronger. But paper has many different materials, such as paper with smoother feel and more uniform reflected light. The paper is rough and the reflected light is scattered, so the amount of light hitting the subject may be smaller.

Kitchenware: aluminum foil paper, fresh-keeping box cover.

There are generally three types of reflectors: white, silver and gold. The most common reflector is white, but gold and silver are more effective. Because of the bright metal material, the reflection effect is stronger than white, and the light reflected by gold is warmer than silver. Usually, when using an oven or barbecue outside, the commonly used aluminum foil paper can actually be DIY into a silver reflector. Remember to crumple the aluminum foil paper before use, and then spread it out, so that the reflected light will be more natural and soft.

Difficult to move: white walls, ceilings, large furniture.

Compared with some props mentioned above, white walls, ceilings, etc. It is true that they are all immovable "big props", but if they are combined with external flash and movable lamps, they can also play a good role in supplementing light when shooting indoors. Take the "jumping light" that people often hear when taking pictures with a flash, that is, using the reflection principle of light and using walls and ceilings as "reflectors" to shine, which will produce more natural effects than direct lighting with a flash. In addition to the flash, if you sometimes use other lamps at home for lighting, you can change the lighting effect by the same principle and method when you feel that the light is too strong and concentrated.