Skills of shooting outdoor reflector

Use a white reflector when shooting on sunny days.

When shooting, put the white reflector at a lower position in front of the subject to get stronger reflected light. This can correct the problem of insufficient layering of photos. But also can form a light spot on the eyes of the subject, making his expression more vivid.

Nikon D90, 50mm F 1.4 lens, F 1.4, 1/4000 seconds, ISO200, white balance: automatic.

Under the soft backlight, it presents a layered and shiny skin.

Under the soft backlight, it presents a layered and shiny skin.

Although the backlight shooting time is softer, if so, sometimes people feel that the photos lack a sense of hierarchy. In this case, you can add an appropriate amount of light to the photo to make it more layered and make the skin of the subject brighter.

A reflector is a photographic accessory that can reflect light. It doesn't mean that it will emit light, but because its surface is usually white or silver, which can reflect the light emitted by the light source. When shooting in reverse light, you can point the reflector at the subject and use it to reflect sunlight.

There are many reflectors with white and silver sides on the market. When shooting on a sunny day, you should give priority to white faces. Compared with the silver surface, the reflection ability of the white surface is slightly weaker, which can turn direct light into soft scattered light. It can not only make the facial skin of the subject bright, but also not destroy the atmosphere of backlight shooting. In addition, the reflector can also create a shining spot on the eyes of the subject, which is really one of the indispensable photographic accessories in outdoor photography.

How to use silver reflector on sunny days?

In Side Light, in order to make the blue sky more colorful, I took exposure value as the benchmark to shoot along the light. Because the side light will cast a shadow on the model's face, resulting in underexposure, so I used a silver reflector to fill the light.

Nikon D90, 18-70mm F3.5-4.5 lens (using 18mm focal length), F4.5, 1/2000s, ISO400, white balance: automatic.

Because the effect of silver reflector is very strong, we must pay attention to the use method.

Because the effect of silver reflector is very strong, we must pay attention to the use method.

Because the white side of the reflector will produce scattered light, it is easier to use, but how to use the silver side? As you can see, the reflective ability of the silver surface is very strong, which is related to the materials used in the silver surface. The silver reflector with strong reflection ability can approach the reflection effect of the mirror.

When shooting with this kind of reflected light on sunny days, it is equivalent to shooting in the forward light state. Therefore, when shooting in the reverse light state, how to eliminate the hair weaving shadow of the subject and how to effectively use the reflected light need to be considered. If you are too far away from the subject, the reflected light will also weaken, so it is very convenient to use this reflected light when taking photos that cannot be too close to the subject, such as full-length portraits.

However, there is one thing that needs special attention. This reflected light is very strong. Some models adapt to this kind of light energy, but some models are too dazzling to open their eyes or their expressions become stiff. In this case, please don't use the reflector reluctantly, because it is the key to take a photo with a good expression.

According to your own intention, use a reflector to make reflective points appear in the photo.

When taking this photo, I put the relatively large round white reflector hanging on a tripod in front of the subject's left, and then held the relatively small round white reflector with my arm from the front to fill the subject's light from the front. In this way, two reflective points like reflectors are reflected to the eyes of the subject.

Nikon D90, 50mm F 1.4 lens, F 1.4, 1/4000 seconds, ISO200, white balance: automatic.

A circular reflector can be used to form a circular reflection point in an object's eye.

A circular reflector can be used to form a circular reflection point in an object's eye.

When shooting with a reflector, the eyes of the subject will glow. The reflective points in the eyes can give people a very spiritual feeling and make the subject look more lovely.

As for this reflection point on the subject's eyes, if you look closely, you will find that it only reflects the appearance of the reflector on the eyes. The human eye is like a convex mirror, not only a mirror, but also the appearance of the surrounding scenery will be reflected to the eyes. Among these quilts, the most conspicuous is the white spots formed by the reflector.

If the reflector is round, then the reflected shadow is also round. If the reflector is placed closer to the subject, or a larger reflector is used, the reflection point will be larger. If you can understand the above, then you should be able to make the reflection point appear in the photo according to your own intention.

Because the reflection effect of the silver reflector is closer to specular reflection than scattering, the shape of the reflector itself is difficult to be reflected to the eyes of the subject.