By holding it level with the ground, you can reflect light up into the
subject??™s face.
Reflector
5"
7"
7"
CHAPTER 5: Flash and Lighting 105
You might be dubious about a flash reflector cut out of a piece of paper, but trust me: the
results are stunning. When I shoot flash photography indoors, I use this paper reflector almost all
the time??”you can see my setup in Figure 5-6. This home-brewed reflector delivers wonderfully
soft, attractive lighting that??™s especially great for portraits. You can also experiment with your
flash by spinning it around so the reflector is in front, diffusing some of the light, and the flash
fires backward, behind the camera.
Want to learn more? I was first turned onto this idea from a short how-to video on the Web.
You can watch it yourself at www.abetterbouncecard.com.
When you??™re ready to take a picture with your reflector, you??™ll probably need some help.
It??™s fiendishly difficult to hold a reflector and take a picture at the same time. So instead of
trying some feat of photographic gymnastics, ask an assistant to hold the reflector such that
light reflects from the sky onto your subject. Try to hold the reflector to minimize shadows or
illuminate the dark side of your subject.
All that said, reflectors can serve a second important purpose as well.
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