before and after reflector
Remember this post last week on window light? Today I’m going to show a few examples of how to get that backlight and yet still have light on your subject’s face.
A reflector will allow you to have light coming from behind your subject but still reflect light back into their face. Some of us have and use these reflectors that are made specifically for this purpose. Some of us are too lazy to get them out. (pointing finger at myself here)
Here are a few examples where I used natural reflectors, or things that were lying around and easy to find.
This is what I used in the example pictures above. He was sitting next to a cooler so I popped open the lid and used the shiny white surface inside as a natural reflector to get light into his face.
reflector: a piece of paper
before and after reflector
reflector: her binder
reflector: white tutu she was wearing (you can also get the same effect if you wear white clothing when photographing close to your subject)
water is a great reflector of light
Beautiful! Thanks for all the pull back shots Jodi! Instead of digging for my reflectors – I’m going to start looking around me to see what can be used. I heard about a photographer that used to always have his assistant wear a tuxedo shirt so he could use it as a reflector when needed. ;)
Was that photographer me? :) I don’t wear a tuxedo shirt, but I do always try to wear white to a shoot for just that reason!
Nice! I hadn’t thought of being a personal natural reflector. There could be some deep thoughts associated there. :) If only white clothes didn’t stain so easily. ;)
I usually just turn my kids toward the light because I can’t be bothered. I need to stop that because I love the look of back light in the hair. Thanks for the ideas to make this happen!
Light’s nice either way :) But I am partial to backlight myself. It can be a pain but oh so worth it sometimes.
JODI! you are a genius! I’ve always hated using my reflectors because I felt like it lit the subject up a little too much – this is so much more subtle! You are an amazing photographer! Thank you!!
Thanks Erin :)
The picture down by the water is absolutely beautiful!! They all are…but I LOVE that one!
that’s why I snuck that one in because I personally love it too… it doesn’t really show light on the subject’s face but I was hoping nobody would care :)
Don’t care at all!!
Thanks for the examples and for the way you labeled them. Sometimes it is hard to visualize where the reflector is in a given picture, this post has really clarified this for me!
you’re welcome, glad this was helpful. Remember, the light in these is coming from high and behind the subject, so if your light is at a different angle then you want to change the angle of your reflector to match. Just watch for the light in the eyes.
GENIUS!!!
thanks!
These pictures are beautiful. I am a complete novice, so had never considered something like reflectors. I can’t wait to try this!
Thanks! You’ll love it once you try it!
very simple! thank you, i’ll now carry white paper with me :D
LOL smaller than a reflector :)
This is super helpful for me, I love having light shine behind a subject. I was wondering if you have an recommendations for a problem I keep having–if I have the sun shinning behind a subject my camera will have a lot of trouble focusing, I think it’s because of the sun rays and spots that appear. I’ve even tried changing my meter mode, but nothing really seems to work.
Thank you!
http://stasiaalexa.wordpress.com/
It is hard to focus when you’re shooting into the sun. Your camera has trouble picking up edges to focus on, and your own eyes can fail you as well when you’re being blinded by the sun. What helps in that situation is to either change your angle a bit, just enough to get your focus but still keep your backlight, or use your hand to shade your lens while you pick up focus where you want it and then remove your hand and take the shot. Hope that helps. It really just takes practice. I will definitely be writing some posts about this in the future, since I love backlighting and it definitely has its challenges.
Exactly! I’ll try those tips for sure and be looking for that post. Thanks for your beautiful blog.
http://stasiaalexa.wordpress.com/
Fantastic! Will be using these tips for sure!
good luck!