How to Use a Reflector for Portraits

Video: url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9wsgusqn1Y
Video: description: Are you trying to learn how to use a reflector properly? Can we all agree that the idea with portraits is to flatter someone - not to make them look bad. Right? TV shows, movies, and unfortunately even YouTube photographers seem to think it's really cool to do that low angle gold reflector that blinds your subject, makes ridiculously bright catchlights in the bottom of the eyes and puts shadows in weird places. This lighting does not make great portraits or modeling shots - in fact it makes people look ghoulish.
Video: headline: How to use a REFLECTOR the right way! STOP using REFLECTORS to make bad outdoor portrait lighting
Article: main image URL: https://static.photocdn.pt/images/articles/2020/11/24/How_to_Use_a_Reflector_for_Portraits.jpg
Article: description: Learning how to use a reflector is a photography lighting skill that is extremely valuable. In this tutorial, get simple instructions on using a reflector for portraits.
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 photo by powerofforever via iStock

Kristine Fernandez is a wildly popular YouTube photographer who has created a series of different self-help videos for photographers who are just getting started with their photography journey. Many of these videos include portrait photography tips, including info about the best photography lighting.  

This video is all about how to use a reflector.

If you’re looking for more info about using a reflector for portraits, you can watch the whole video above, but if you’re just looking for the quick and dirty about how to use a reflector, then keep reading. 

Why You Should Use a Reflector

YouTube Screenshot / Kristine Fernandez 

Before we walk you through how to use a reflector, we should probably walk you through why you would want to use one in the first place. 

Reflectors allow you to create better lighting conditions without actually using artificial light.

So, if you’re shooting outside on a cloudy day, then you may want to use a reflector to bounce light onto your subject’s face if it’s a little dark or you can use a reflector to better highlight part of your subject.

What’s more, reflectors can be used as an alternative to a fill light to bounce light onto the subject’s face to fill in any shadows. In the screenshot above, you can see how a silver reflector was used to brighten the model’s face in the example on the right. 

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How to Place a Reflector

 photo by Alina Demidenko via iStock

So, now that you understand why you would use a reflector, let’s walk you through how to use a reflector. 

Reflectors come in a variety of different colors. I’ll touch more on this later. But, each of these reflectors will be placed in much the same way. 

You want your reflector to be facing the direction of the sunlight, so that it can easily catch the sunlight and bounce it back onto your subject. You’ll want to place your reflector at least a couple of feet away from your subject. I find that when I place my reflector around 3-6 feet away from my subjects, this tends to work best because the reflected light is softer and more evenly distributed.

The most important part about learning how to use a reflector is learning how to place it. Make sure you hold it at an angle and don’t be afraid to play around with different positions because they will ultimately affect the quality of the finished product. 

Different Colored Reflectors

Youtube Screenshot / Kristine Fernandez 

Now that you understand how to use a reflector, you’ll need to understand how to choose the type of reflector you need for your portrait.  

Reflectors come in a wide array of colors, but the three most popular colors are silver, gold (shown above, right), and white.

The silver reflector is best for photographers who are learning how to use a reflector for the first time because it reflects the most amount of light, so there’s basically no way to use a silver reflector and not see a difference in your finished photo.

Youtube Screenshot / Kristine Fernandez 

Silver reflectors also don’t change the color of flash or studio lights, so you can use it both in the field or in your studio. 

Silver reflectors can also be placed much farther away from your subject, because it reflects the most light.

Gold reflectors, on the other hand, are usually only used for outdoor portraits because they help to mimic the warm, bright colors of natural sunlight. 

White reflectors, like silver reflectors, don’t really change the color of the lighting that is present during your shoot. But, unlike silver reflectors, white reflectors don’t add any shine to your subject. For this reason, white reflectors are much more difficult to use while you’re learning how to use a reflector because they create a much more subtle, natural look. 

Youtube Screenshot / Kristine Fernandez 

Of course, there are other colored reflectors, like blue, green or even white-and-gold zigzag (shown above). After you have a basic grasp on how to use a reflector, you can start experimenting with these other colors.  

We hope that this article walking you through how to use a reflector was helpful. Make sure to like and subscribe to Kristine Fernandez’s channel if you liked this tutorial!

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