Snappin’ Sundays: Using a Reflector

Do you use a reflector? Ever heard of a reflector? I hadn’t either until I took a photography class last year, and now using a reflector is one of my favorite tricks. When you’re shooting in low light situations such as dark shade or with the sun to the subject’s back, a reflector is simply a white screen that helps reflect light onto your subject. I own a reflector similar to this one, but there are lots of different options. You could even use something as simple as white poster board if you don’t want to purchase an actual reflector.

So how to use a reflector? I set up my shot in the shade, approximately 6:15 in the evening with the sun to our backs. I asked my son to stand beside me and hold the reflector so that it took the sun from behind my daughter and placed the light on her face.

And here’s what a difference it makes. The settings are exactly the same for both shots, but the reflector added so much light and warmth to the picture. These are both straight out of the camera. I used my 35mm lens, f2.2, 1/200SS and 320 ISO.

This picture was taken about 15 minutes after the original shot and you can tell the sun had set just enough that I couldn’t reflect quite as much light onto her face, but there’s still enough extra light to give good exposure and I can tweak it in Lightroom later if necessary. The settings were the same for both shots: f3.2, 1/100, 320 ISO.

And one more picture using the reflector.

It’s a good trick, right? If you’re trying out a reflector for the first time or else pulling it out of the closet and wiping off the dust to give it another try, link me up to the pictures. I’d love to see them!