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Why every photographer needs a reflector

Whether you work with natural or artificial light or a mixture of the both, you really should consider adding a reflector to your kit bag. They are inexpensive but highly functional pieces of equipment.

Reflector i
The reflector is the Swiss army knife of light modifiers. You can bounce, direct, and shield with these, and they come in all sizes and shapes. The best-known ones are the foldable reflectors, but there are also hard reflector panels, and many of them can be built from cheap materials.
Use a reflector to bring light from a window into the depths of a room, to bounce (and thus enlarge) your flash or hot light, or to shield your lens from light that causes flare, or hold it over your model to have her in the shade.
A reflector can be your main light source or it can be used as fill light to open up shadows. Many situations in which a photographer uses two lights could just as easily be handled by one light and a reflector. Reflectors come in many colours, from gold to silver to gold/silver mixes to white. Get a white/silver reflector before you dig into the more restricted use of any other kind, and watch for the appearance of skin when a silver reflector is the main light. It creates more specular reflections, and some call their light ‘oily.’ A white reflector will give smoother light; however, its reflection is also less strong.
Reflector ii
Whenever you are working with daylight, a reflector is a great and simple tool. Its usefulness is endless, from slightly brightening shadow sections to using the reflected light as a main light. Foldable reflectors are the most common and versatile ones. However, a white panel or piece of fabric or even a white wall can be used as a reflector.
Boudoir Photography is Critsey Rowe’s guide to a genre of photography more sophisticated and collaborative than old-fashioned “glamour” shooting that has snowballed as more and more women commission intimate portraits of themselves. With advice on pre-production, wardrobe and makeup, a dedicated posing guide, and post-production techniques covered in detail, Boudoir Photography will help the shooter work closely with the client to come up with a portfolio that is technically perfect, beautiful, and completely unique.

Boudoir-photography-coverBoudoir Photography by Critsey Rowe

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RRP for print edition: £17.99