Importance of using reflectors

Occasionally I do get asked how I have shot something. I am not one of them photographers who try to keep everything secret and I am more than happy to give advice should someone wants it.

While shooting outdoors, I cannot stress how important and useful reflectors are! Cheap piece of equipment. If you really want to go low budget, a sheet on tin foil acts as a reflector.

So what does a reflector do in an outdoor shoot with a model? What it does is that it acts as a light. In a studio setting, if you put one light to the left of a model, only her left side will be illuninated and the right side will be shadows. If you want her face all evenly lit, you add another light to the right hand side. Same applies for outdoor shooting. The sun was lighting the left of Sharons face however, the rest of her face was left dark/in shadow.

When you introduce a reflector to the right of Sharon, this is what you get:

Left = Without reflector.
Right = With reflector.

Here you will see the difference a cheap piece of equipment makes to your photography! Sharon is now evenly lit now I added the reflector. Reflectors only work if you point them the right way. Shine it on the models face and you'll see the difference in light.

There is only so much Photoshop can do. But it cannot polish turds. So aim to get your lighting correct before post production.