Portrait photography tip: Using a reflector

Friday 8 September 2023, 16:32 by Elja Trum | 3,344 views | 2 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

I always keep a reflector in my camera bag. It can help you take better portrait photos in several ways.

Sophie - f/2, 1/3800s, 200 ISO @ 84mm
You can use a reflector to brighten dark areas in your photo. When the light comes from the side, for example, there is a chance that one side of your subject will become very dark. With a reflector, you reflect the light back towards your model to brighten the dark shadows.

Reflectors are generally very affordable. You can get a versatile 5-in-1 model for just a few dozen euros, but you can also use a piece of white polystyrene board or any other light-coloured flat object.

Of course, you can also get more expensive reflectors that claim to produce a specific, more attractive reflection, but my advice is to start with a simple 5-in-1 model. That immediately gives you 5 variations as well, and the translucent screen is also ideal.

Depending on the light, you can also use a reflector as a light source, for example when you reflect sunlight into a shaded area.

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About the author

Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.

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2 comments

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 12 September 2023 at 11:08 | reply
A reflector is not only useful for portrait photography. In nature photography it can also be useful, for example, to give a mushroom that is just in the shade a bit more light with a reflector. Then you don't immediately need a flash.
Translated from Dutch.

Elja Trum wrote on Tuesday 12 September 2023 at 13:10 | reply
Yes, of course. It is a handy tool for many forms of photography. As it happens, with this article I focused on portraits.
Translated from Dutch.

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Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about Photofacts

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