Bouncing light {Reflectors}

Have I mentioned how important light is when you are a photographer? Well, if I haven't let me tell you light is the MOST important aspect to all photography. In essence when we photograph a scene of any sort, what we are doing is capturing the light in that single moment. The basics of photography is knowing how to control how much light enters your camera through your set shutter speed and your aperture. That amount of light you let in using both of those setting creates the light exposure image on your sensor thus making a photograph. Easy, you all know this. The other major thing about photography and knowing your light is knowing how and when to use the greatest light source of all... the sun! It can be your best friend and worse enemy depending on the time of day. The golden hours are our best friend times :) {Sun up and a little after and sunset with a little before} This is when the sun is low to the earth creating a soft direct warm light on your subject. At high sun {11am-2pm} the sun is over head creating a light that sends shadows down your subject. So, what happens when you're shooting an event and it's during those awful sun times? Well you got to create light and block out nasty sun shadows. Either take your subject to some even shade or create light on your subject to diffuse the shadows.

So, I was at a wedding this past weekend like I told you all early and the property was so lovely I couldn't bare to keep them just under a set of trees so I created light. If you all haven't figured it out by now, I'm a DIY person. I buy things I can't create {like a camera, flash, ect} but, my light source I can create. I have a nice square reflector that I've made and just carry it around in my camera bag and grab that sucker out when needed. It's a two sided art board. One side is the white art board, the other side is foil. The white side when bounced off the sun and shone on your subject creates a soft light. The foil side when bouncing light from the sun onto a subject creates a more intensely bright light. The foil side is easier to see on your subject as you tilt the reflector around to get the light bounced over the shadow areas. Here is my reflector.

I just hold the reflector in one hand and shoot with the other moving the reflector around as needed to shine that light on my subject. So, here is how it works, I have for you photos from when before and after I saw I needed to add some light.

Can you see the difference? The top one I bounced the light from the window onto her face and torso. The bottom one the Sun was at a slight angle from her left side {from how she is sitting} and I held the reflector out and down to get the light to bounce on her face and her white dress to light up the whole image even more. 

Just simple easy tricks and they can really improve the shot in just a matter of seconds. Another way to get light on your subject is to use a flash. Yes, use a flash even in the middle of the day. Use the sun as your hair light and allow your flash to be your main light. I'll talk about flashes another day and explain how to direct them and such. Just a tip, capturing and bouncing the light is like playing pool, you got to know how the angles work. :)

www.erinlynphotography.com