[artshow_photo] Re: Recent article on inexpensive reflectors

> Before I started hauling mirrors around I think I
> would explore fill flash. With reflectors, the area
> you can fill is proportional to the area of the reflector.
> You can diffuse fill flash.
>
> The standard Mathews reflector used in the motion
> picture industry has a "cloudy" reflective surface on one
> side and the other is covered with squares of silver foil.
>
> If you are going this far, you also might look into
> Butterflies. This is a large frame with diffusion
> material stretched over it - usually silk or taffetta.
> This is suspended overhead above the subject to
> diffuse and soften the sun. The largest one I ever used
> was 40 foot square. Now we are getting into a truck
> and crew.

Mirrors are effective for throwing light long distances, probably
longer than fill flash. More directional, too. They can be very
helpful in certain instances, and the shoot I mentioned was one of
them. You'd be surprised how well a little 4x6 mirror can be used to
fill in a face at a distance. Takes no power, and very little space.
It's the same principle with the collapsible reflector disks, which
are more versatile for groups, and come with different color balance
surfaces.

I've used a lot of different reflectors, including big butterflies and
scrims. But for average everyday shooting, you can often improvise
with 216 (a milky plastic diffusion material) or bed sheets stretched
over 1x2 frames. I've still got a couple 4x8 sheets of foamcore with
reflective material stretched over them. Most of this is movie
lighting, rather than stills, as it generally needs an assistant to
move the reflector while the cameraperson looks for the proper effect
at the camera position.

I've gone to small speedlights for a lot of tasks. They can be
triggered remotely and you can carry a lot of em in a small bag. Even
the stands are less bulky than C-stands, if less versatile.

Jim Parker
parkerparker :: design | photography
http://www.parkerparker.info
@dakkid / twitter

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