Using Black Panels / Absorbers

[kalashluvr]

Hello,

Can anyone tell me where / why / how I'd use a black panel in outdoor shots?

I've searched high and low and this seems to be one of the topics that no one discusses. Maybe it's because there's not alot of use for them??

thank you!!!

[OsmosisStudios]

A black panel (like a gobo) or a scrim (like a translucent panel)?

[kalashluvr]

something like this:

48 x 72 inch Illuminator Reflector (Black) - Flags & Gobos - Light Modifiers - Lighting & Studio

[OsmosisStudios]

That's a GoBo. Go Between. You put it in places to direct and control light. A black one would be used to block light or to prevent a reflection.

[kalashluvr]

What about a scrim?

THANK YOU!

[ElCapitanoAwesomo]

my knowledge of scrims come from a theatrical perspective. i would use it as a backlit background, though for photography, a more likely use would be sun or light diffusion panels.

[OsmosisStudios]

Originally Posted by kalashluvr

What about a scrim?

THANK YOU!

They're semi-translucent panels used to soften light. Generally used outdoors when the sun is harsh to soften the light over the model. Works a treat if done right.

They can also be used, as mentioned, in a stage or studio like environment as backdrop sections with a light behind them.

[ttosifa]

Originally Posted by OsmosisStudios

That's a GoBo. Go Between. You put it in places to direct and control light. A black one would be used to block light or to prevent a reflection.

This is absolutely correct. I have a couple of them about that size (36x72 if I remember right). I use mine for portraits mainly. Love them. The way I like to think about it when setting it up, which isn't quite correct, is that it "reflects a shadow" instead of light. So I put it opposite the key light and then move it until I get the shadow where I like it. It deepens the shadow on the subject on that side. It's pretty cool. I first saw one used this way in the "3-D Contrast" video.

But really what it is doing is absorbing the key light that goes past the subject and keeping it from reflecting back to the subject, just as OS says. So what you are trying to do with a black reflector is eliminate existing reflections hitting the subject WITHOUT creating a new reflection on the subject. A white nontransparent reflector could also be a gobo for light on one side but it would potentially create a new reflection from light on the opposite side. Both work, just with different outcomes.

[stefantell]

I use bookends/v-flats/black stuff all the time in my small studio. With white walls and a short distance from where the model stands and the wall starts, it is a must.

In the example above, I placed it near the mime camera left to get the contrast and the deep shadows. Ok, a little is enhanced in Photoshop, but without it, the reflected light from the walls, as well as direct light from the background light would make the contrast disappear completely.

Setup diagram and more examples here...

Most of the time, black fabric hanging between two light stands works just as well.

[cyber3d]

I've used a black screen (solid not translucent) on a beach shot. One on either side of my girl and a reflector. It was useful to get a spankin' hot contour of her torso and legs. Without it, the sand reflected sunlight just washed everything out and she looked flat as a pancake.