#Foldable reflector photography portable

In tabletop still life photography, small mirrors and card stock are used extensively, both to reduce lighting contrast and create highlights on reflective subjects such as glassware and jewelry. Reflectors vary enormously in size, colour, reflectivity and portability.

#Foldable reflector photography portable

Techniques with board reflectors A portable folding reflector positioned to 'bounce' sunlight onto a model The lamp faces away from the scene to be photographed, allowing only reflected light to be thrown forward. A very common example of this technique is the traditional umbrella reflector, invented by George Larson, typically having a gold, silver or matte white interior onto which a lamp fitted with a circular reflector is projected, providing a broad, soft illumination. By positioning a board reflector close to a light source, its effective size can be increased by 'bouncing' the light off it. Reflectors may also be used as a means of increasing the size of the main light source, which may (or may not) retain a direct path to the scene. In this case, light 'spilling' from the main ambient or key light illuminating a scene is reflected back into the scene with a varying degrees of precision and intensity, according to the chosen reflective surface and its position relative to the scene. As a result, it is most commonly used to control contrast in both artificial and natural lighting, in place of a fill light or 'kick' light. This kind of reflector generally has a very low reflectivity factor that varies widely according to surface texture and colour. Board reflectors Īlso known as plane reflectors, 'flats' or bounce boards, this kind of reflector is located independent of a light source the light is reflected off its surface, either to achieve a broader light source, or control shadows and highlights, or both. A matte reflector will typically have a reflector factor of around 2, due to its more diffuse effect, while a polished or metallic-finished reflector may have a factor of up to 6. The reflector factor is the ratio of the illumination provided by a lamp fitted within a reflector to the illumination provided without any reflector fitted.

parabolic, providing a tighter, parallel beam of light.

spherical, short-sided, giving a relatively broad spread of light.

Although there are a large number of variants, the most common types are: Similar to a domestic lampshade, these reflectors are fixed to an artificial light source (for example, a filament bulb or flash tube) to direct and shape the otherwise scattered light, reflecting it off their concave inner surfaces and directing it towards the scene to be photographed. Lamp reflectors Diagram of a lamp reflector, showing path that light typically takes from a light source.

In photography and cinematography, a reflector is an improvised or specialised reflective surface used to redirect light towards a given subject or scene.Īpart from certain highly specialized components found in enlargers, projectors and scanners, photographic reflectors fall into two main groups: Reflective surface used to redirect light towards a given subject or scene, used in photography A traditional umbrella-style reflector, used to diffuse light from a photographic lamp to which it is normally attached.