Using a Reflector

Equipment Tip: Using a Reflector

One of the first lighting tools I added to my photography gear was a reflector. They are fairly inexpensive and extremely portable which makes them a perfect lighting tool when you are just starting out. While I have additional lighting now I still carry a set of reflectors with me because of how often they are enough to control the lighting without having to set up any additional gear. 

For this shoot I was interested in the pattern of the light as it came through the blinds on the window to the right of the frame. In the first photo I really wanted to emphasize the way the dot patten lined my model's face. I liked the look achieved by leaving the left side of her face in the shadows since this really brought attention to the dot pattern on the right side of her face. So for this shot I used only the window light with no reflector.

For the second photo, which was taken within 5 minutes of the first one, I added a reflector to the left side of the frame to even out the light on each side of her face. I was shooting indoors so I was able to hang the reflector from a tripod and adjust it until it was reflecting the window light the way I wanted to see it reflected.

With the simple addition of a reflector I was able to get two very different looks with the same window light. Neither look is "incorrectly" lit. Instead, with the use of a reflector I was able to create two different looks by controlling the light to get the look I wanted for each photo.

Challenge 8: Collaborate with Another Artist

Creative 52 Challenge 8: Collaborate with Another Artist

Inspiration: For this challenge Lindsay asked us to think of a way to involve another artist in a creative shoot. In her book Lindsay listed fashion designers, painters, graphic artists, set designers, hair stylists, makeup artists, dancers and clothing designers as possibilities for collaboration.

My Solution: I immediately thought of Amber LeMar. Amber has been refining her skills as a make-up artist and often does the make-up for the burlesque group,Vandetta Vixens. Knowing how much she also loves to create a head to toe look to reinvent herself I asked her to create any look she wanted for this shoot. In her apartment there was a small red wall that I used for a backdrop. Lighting was done with two Nikon speedlights and shoot through umbrellas. I think she knocked this look out of the park!

Technique: While I was the Creative Live, workshop Shooting in Crappy Light, Lindsay did a segment on post production in Photoshop. She talked us through using frequency separation for fashion photography editing. This method allows touching up of skin without taking away the texture of the skin. I've been practicing with it since getting home and wanted to share a before and after of this shot to not only show how well it works for editing skin but also what a great job Amber did with her hair and makeup as very little editing was needed to get to my final image.

Credits: I want to thank Amber Lamar for collaborating with me! You are always such a joy to work with. And, as always, thanks to Lindsay Adler for her continued inspiration.