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Make a dead-simple DIY reflector with an emergency blanket and poster board

Apr 18, 2016 by GB Leave a Comment

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DIy Reflector

One of the most basic tools every portrait photographer should have in their arsenal is a reflector. It can be used with natural light, in a studio, pretty much anywhere, really.

While it’s easy to go out and buy one for $20–40, it’s also possible to make a much more affordable DIY reflector by using little more than an emergency blanket and poster board.

Shared on Instructables by user TheCoffeeDude, this DIY reflector should cost only a few dollars and take only a couple minutes to make. Better yet, just buy the products, keep them in your car, and build the thing when you need it.

All you’ll need to make this DIY reflector is an emergency blanket (otherwise known as a sheet of Mylar), a few pieces of poster board, spray adhesive and good ole Gaffer’s tape.

To build the reflector, simply tape the pieces of poster board together at the seams using Gaffer’s tape. These seams will act as hinges, allowing you to fold up the poster board for more compact storage. Once the poster board is taped together, simply crinkle together an emergency blanket, spray some adhesive on the board and stretch the silver blanket across the surface of the boards.

Theoretically you could make this reflector as large as possible, but we suggest basing the size off of the dimensions of the emergency blanket.

The total cost shouldn’t come in at more than $5–10 pending what supplies you have laying around at home. To see the full tutorial, head on over to the Instructables page.

[via Lifehacker]

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Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: DIY, diy reflectors, Gaffer's tape, poster board, reflector

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Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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