Natural Lighting

When to use a reflector

• when the subject is backlit
• if the subject is in the shade and the background is brightly lit.
• on a overcast day when the light coming from above can cause dark circles around the eyes

Advice for using a reflector

• Silver reflector creates a much harder light on the face
• white reflector creates a softer, more natural lighting
• in bright sunlight place your subject in some shade with their back to the sun and use the reflector to bounce light back on to the face
• if shooting in the direction of the sun you may need a lens hood to prevent glare.

Things to think about

• pose
• direction of light– move subject, change how light hits them.
• camera angle
• how much of the frame they fill
• are they looking at or away from the camera
• composition

This series of photos show different people in a park. The purpose of these were to show how natural lighting and reflectors work.

For all of theses photos the subject is in the centre of the frame. The photos have a mid zoom. The lighting of the image is very important. It shows how the reflection of light can make a the person in the image stand out.