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Creating dappled light with a DIY reflector

Jul 13, 2021 by Nick Fancher Add Comment

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What if I told you that i only used one light to create this image. It’s true. I used one of my favorite lighting modifiers— a DIY reflector. To make it I covered a sheet of cardboard with self-adhesive mirror tiles, first scoring it in two places for easy folding. It works well with both studio strobes and sunlight, with the ripple texture of the cardboard adding a dappled appearance to the light.

It’s also a nice way of making one light source look like multiple lights. Sometimes I’ll attach colored gels to the reflector to add a nice colorful accent. For the first set of these images I used a fungus-filled lens with a star filter to create dreamy images. For the second set I used sunlight, a gold gel, and set my white balance to tungsten. Thanks to @repotrash for being a patient, emotive model.




If you enjoyed these setups make sure to pre-order my upcoming book, The Creative Portrait or check out the video tutorials.

About the Author

Nick Fancher is a photographer, author, and educator who specializes in dramatic lighting, often employing the use of bold colors and experimental camera techniques. His work ranges from portrait and commercial photography to fine art. He is particularly known for his efficient method of working, which is with the use of minimal gear, often in unconventional locations.

You can see more of Nick’s work on his website and read his blog. This article was also published here and shared with permission.

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Related posts:

How to emulate dappled natural light in the studio using flash Introducing Omega Reflector 360 – the world’s first 15-in-1 reflector How to make a 2-in-1 DIY foldable reflector on a budget How To Build And Use A Huge Sturdy DIY Reflector For $8

Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: colorful, diy reflector, diy reflectors, Nick Fancher

Guest Author: from diyphotography.net

About Guest Author

This article was contributed to DIYP by a member of our community. If you would like to contribute an article, please contact us here.

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