My neighbor became
quite curious last Sunday.
He looked puzzled
when he saw me shifting
around a sheet of white cardboard
as I was posing the family
for their latest snapshot.
"Getting kind of fancy,
aren't you?" he yelled. I soon
explained it to him. I put him
right to work holding the simple
reflector so that he could
see for himself the benefits of
filling In the shadows.
You get good sunlight for
your snapshots on many January
days. But it isn't always
the same type of sunlight.
Some clays it's a bit hazy and
the light is soft and diffused.
On other days, the sky is crystal
clear and the light turns
out to be crisp and even harsh.
It is on these latter days, especially,
that a reflector can be
of great help in getting good
photographs of people.
One of the simplest reflecting
devices is a sheet of white
cardboard. It is inexpensive
and efficient. But in a pinch
there are many good substitutes.
Grab a white dishtowel
if you have nothing else. Some
photographers use cardboard
covered with aluminum foil.
Anything light-colored will reflect
some light.
The nice thing about using
a reflector is that it can aid
your snapshots, and yet it
doesn't change your exposure.
It just adds light that fills in
the shadow areas.
Where should you place this
reflector to get the best possible
use from it? You must
place it where it catches the
sun, of course, and where it
will not appear in your view
finder, The closer it is to the
subject, the brighter the reflection
will be. So you can
experiment until you find the
most pleasing result.
Occasionally you can utilize
a light building as a reflector.
You will find a beautiful, soft
light reflecting from it which
can be used to fill in the
shadows.
A few weeks ago we discussed
the use of synchronized
flash with daylight, and that,
of course, is a wonderful way
to provide the fill-in light. But
if you don't have flash, a
simple reflector works wonders.
A reflector provides one of
those plus values that help to
make your pictures just a little
bit better. Try one the next
time you take pictures of people.
You'll like the results.
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Article: Using Reflectors To Even Out Harsh Shadows In Photographs Author: Shutterbug Publication Date: 2008-12-17 Total Views: 369 Word Count: 307 Category:Home /
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