Reflector

[RedGoblinz]

Do you think if i used a cardboard and painted it with Matt white paint would be a good reflector?

I tested it out the other day, the reflected light off the board was kinda little compared to crumpled foil on a board.

P.S. The paint wasnt really evenly painted. Hehe.

[RedGoblinz]

Would you guys think a windshield reflector would work? Those shiny reflecting types.
Or you guys can suggest other things as reflectors.

My board is about 30 x 25 cm. i think. lol.

[SusanH1970]

If you don't want to buy an actual reflector, a piece of white foam board from a craft store will work well. It runs about $3.00.

[scootermcq]

Originally Posted by RedGoblinz

Would you guys think a windshield reflector would work? Those shiny reflecting types.
Or you guys can suggest other things as reflectors.

My board is about 30 x 25 cm. i think. lol.

Susan's suggestion is good, and I have used that a lot. Your car shade will also work, it will just be a more contrasty lighting. It all depends what you want. White gives a softer more diffused bounce, where the silver give a harder light.

[Doug Sundseth]

Nearly anything whitish will work as a reflector or bounce card. (If you are shooting into the sun, you can even get some effect from wearing a white shirt.)

My travel reflector is a 5-in-1 (mine is from Westcott, but many companies make them) because it handles living in my trunk pretty well. For studio work, I buy foam core as well, though I buy the stuff that is black on one side and white on the other. Cheap and versatile.

But if you're shooting in a wind storm, white-painted plywood with handles on the back so your assistant can control it will work just fine. (I'm not sure I'd want to use a reflector in a strong wind without somebody actively holding it.)

[RedGoblinz]

Aren't foam boards brittle? How would you guys transport it around O.o

[scootermcq]

Originally Posted by RedGoblinz

Aren't foam boards brittle? How would you guys transport it around O.o

Well, I don't carry it on my motorcycle, but I find it lasts ok in the trunk of my car....

[Doug Sundseth]

Originally Posted by RedGoblinz

Aren't foam boards brittle? How would you guys transport it around O.o

As a wise man once said, "My travel reflector is a 5-in-1 ... because it handles living in my trunk pretty well."



Foam core does need a bit of care to keep it from disintegrating, but if you pack it on top of the stack rather than on the bottom you should be fine. It will wear around the edges and you'll get the occasional crease or ding, but it's a reflector, not a subject, so none of that matters much.

[terri33inne]

I did just purchase a 2-1 reflector (I thought I had ordered the 5-1?)... I haven't had a chance to use it... I'd love to practice before my shoot tomorrow...anyway... prior to that I did a shoot w/ my daughter, and I hand held a piece of white foam board... That's the catch light in her eyes... no PP on her eyes.

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

Cramming in everything I can read re lighting at the moment. Would a large rectangle of that white coreflute material (used for real estate signs here) work as a reflector?