Making your own reflector photography11/12/2023 I bought 50×70 centimeters sheets, that are about 20×28 inches, and that allowed me to make a nice set of reflectors of different sizes and shapes.Ī useful feature of this type of paper is that the back side is white, so you can use the metallic side or just flip to the white side to have different types of reflections. The ones I’m using here can be found in office supply or craft stores, and exist in various sizes and colors. To start you will need some metallic paper sheets. In this article, I will guide you through the steps of building your own customized small reflectors for tabletop photography like the ones above.Įven though you can use simple paper sheets with some kind of object as a stand to hold it in place, this simple folding technique will for sure give you more control on the way you place your reflectors. The size of the reflector depends on the area you are trying to illuminate, and when it comes to small subjects like tabletop photography, things get tricky because standard reflectors are usually too big to produce small spots of light. Usually collapsible round reflectors are the most used because they are easier to handle on location, and also easier to fold, but triangular and rectangular reflectors are very popular too. The shape of the reflector depends on the subject you are trying to photograph. There are also 5-in-1 reflectors that include a black surface to absorb light, and a translucent surface to soften light. Silver, gold, white, and sometimes mixes of these three colors commonly know as zebra reflectors are the most common colors. This can be done with virtually any surface that reflects light, like a wall, a mirror, cardboard, styrofoam, aluminum foil, etc.ĭedicated photography reflectors come in many different colors, shapes and sizes. With the other side of the insulation boards having print, I picked that side to be black, so I used two coats of the primer and sealant paint, followed by two coats of black paint.The use of reflectors in photography is just a way of taking advantage of the existent light, and bounce it to different places in your image. I let each coat dry before applying another coat, then finished it off with a coat of flat white paint. I started off with three coats of interior primer and sealant paint for the unprinted side of the insulation board. I already had several gallons of paint for the rest of the studio, so I just used that. I decided to pick up two and give them a try since they were only $12.50 per sheet if it didn't work out, it wouldn't be a huge loss.īoth sides of the insulation board had a clear plastic covering, which I removed prior to painting. While picking up some other materials at the local Home Depot, I went ahead and checked out what they had in stock that I could use and came across the insulation section, where there was 1/2-inch 48"x96" pink insulation boards. Houston is fairly large, and I didn't want to drive back with the foam boards strapped to the roof with the chance of them bending with the wind. I did find one local source, but they wasn't cheap, and then I would have to drive roughly 30 miles to get them. I searched online and came back with many expensive options, and then on top of that, there's shipping. They are pretty versatile in different uses and don't take up much space, but like many, I couldn't find a local source for large 4'x8' Gatorboard or foam boards to use. I even reached out to some local photographers and asked them what gear they would like to be in the studio, and v-flats came up for several. I started to plan to create my own studio, and I knew this was one piece of gear on the list I must own. I spent some time traveling to different studios, and one thing I found at most of them were v-flats of some sort.
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