![]() How much contrast you want in the image is a matter of taste. This allows better colour saturation to appear, which can be especially important in flower photography.įollowing are a few examples to show you just how significant the effect of a diffuser can be. They eliminate unattractive contrast, and even out the tonality in the image. Diffusers soften the light, and reduce glare and harsh shadows. You can make them in a variety of sizes.Ī diffuser is another essential tool for the close-up photographer’s toolbox. The homemade reflectors are not as portable as the collapsible ones, but are great for studio use. That will generate a more diffuse light, rather than the spotlight effect of flat foil. You can get somewhere in-between the shiny and the matte by crinkling your aluminum foil first, before gluing it to the board. It will have a more matte finish, and produce a more diffuse light. The good news is that a home-made reflector is just as effective as one you buy in the store! Just glue shiny silver or gold paper (or aluminum foil) onto stiff cardboard or foamcore board, and presto! You have a reflector! You can use an uncovered piece of white foamcore for your white reflector. You can easily make your own reflector very inexpensively. The advantage of buying a reflector is that they are collapsible, making them easily portable for location shooting. There are 5-in-1 kits that cover all possibilities: white, silver, gold, a silver-gold mix, and translucent (a diffuser). You can buy collapsible reflectors at your local camera store. A matte surface actually has a rougher texture than a shiny one, and therefore scatters light more unevenly toward your subject, resulting in a more diffuse reflection. If you prefer more even, soft, or diffused light, then a matte surface is better. If you want to mimic bright sunlight falling on your object, use a very shiny silver or gold reflector (gold will look more like late afternoon light). A very shiny surface (like the shiny side of aluminum foil) tends to reflect bright, ‘contrasty’ highlights on your subject. Reflectors can have a shiny or a matte surface. The silver and gold reflectors provide stronger highlights. The light is more even with the white reflector. The effects of the white reflector are subtle, but noticeable along the left edge. ![]() The changes are quite significant, and are solely the result of slight angle changes to the reflector. The changes are too subtle, and the area affected is too small, for you to be able to appreciate the differences without looking at them through the viewfinder.Ī black background is used to help you to see the differences in the following images. For exact placement, however, you need to look through the viewfinder while moving the reflector. Technique 1: You can get a rough idea of where to place the reflector by looking directly at your subject while moving the reflector around. The only way to know the right place is to experiment. Exactly where you position it, and at what angle, can have a huge impact on the result. It’s not enough just to hold up the reflector. ![]() The idea is to catch the rays of light from the light source and bounce them back onto the object. The reflector should be placed on the opposite side of the subject to the light source. That ridge adds interest to the flower, and really "makes" the image. In this case, the reflector has picked out a ridge in the petal that is virtually invisible in the image on the left. Effectįollowing are a few examples to show you just how significant the effect of a reflector can be. A reflector can bounce light into the scene to fill in those shadows. These are usually unflattering to the image. With objects that have many surfaces at different angles, like flower petals, many areas of shadow may form. When light is striking an object from one side, the other side falls into shadow. Reflectors are critical when doing close up photography using a single, directional light source (like a window). Reflectors are used to reflect, or bounce, light back onto your subject, thereby eliminating shadows. They are essential tools for the close-up photographer. Don’t under-estimate the impact they can have! Reflectors and diffusers manipulate the light in your image, and as such, can change the overall look considerably. Reflectors and diffusers can take your images from "good" to "great." They are the finishing touch that add a degree of professionalism to your final image. No form of reproduction or usage (including copying in whole or in part, or altering of digital image and text files) is permitted without the express written permission of Julie Waterhouse. All photos and text © Julie Waterhouse, all rights reserved worldwide.
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