Adding a Fill Light the Easy Way
Continual light sources are easier to use than transitory sources, because we can see their impact in the viewfinder. Normally a reflector is used as a fill light, because they draw their “power” from a brighter light. But that depends on location. This is a case in point. The subject is sitting on a trail in a wooded area. The Sweet-16 condition is open shade. There is some bright sun filtering through the leaves. The sun is shining brightly in an open area nearby. Study the picture before reading the next paragraph and see if you can identify the three light sources used in the picture and their relative intensities.
This portrait is a nice example of how choosing the right location and the use of a second light source can transform a picture. I had one of my daughters stand in open sun and hold a flexible reflector so that the light fell into the scene from almost a 45-degree angle on her sister’s right. She moved her position and the angle of the reflector until we had the desired level of lighting. She is standing just outside the picture, and the reflected sunlight is about a stop and a half brighter than the shade, making the reflected light the main source. I had the subject sit so that a little area of bright sun passing through the leaves caught her ponytail, creating a hairlight. The open shade was used as the fill. I measured the main exposure (the reflected light) using my camera’s spot-meter mode on her face, and selected a shutter-speed and f/stop combination that created a shallow depth of field to blur the of boards and gravel in the background. The point of focus was my daughter’s eyes.
These are really handy gadgets that can be twisted into a small circle for easy carrying. They are flexible, which lets you bend the shape to focus or feather the light as needed. This one has one side that is silver, and the other is golden in color. The silver casts light the same color that falls on it, while the gold material warms the light. Some discs come in translucent material. That casts a softer light, and can be used as a diffuser or scrim to soften the light even more by actually placing it in the path of the light falling onto the subject.
Bounce Lighta Reflector by Another Name
You can turn almost any nearby surface into a reflector by aiming a light source at it and bouncing the light onto the scene. That’s the basic principle behind most ceiling lights. We can use the same technique by placing additional sources close to the ceiling (or a wall). The most common use of this technique is firing a flash unit at the ceiling. While you can simply aim a camera-mounted strobe up (most have heads that swivel just for that purpose), the effect is stronger if you place the light closer to the surface. That requires an accessory cord. Many DSLR cameras have the ability to control flash output and will automatically adjust the exposure and flash intensity to produce a soft fill. That’s what I used to take this picture.
There are some things to keep in mind when working with bounce flash and reflectors. First, the color of the reflecting surface will be carried to the subject. It’s usually best to stick to white or neutral tones when choosing a surface. Light loses intensity as it travels. When you are bouncing light, it has to move to the reflector, and then on to the subject. If the distance is too great, the bounced light may not have enough power to properly do its job. Many strobes and/or DSLRs have an indicator, either a beep or flashing light, that warns when the burst was inadequate.
Wrap-Around Light
The bigger the source, the softer the light. That’s why studio photographers buy soft boxes. These are large enclosures that surround a light source with white walls, usually angled to focus the light through a translucent diffusion panel. Twoby- three feet is common, and some are eight feet across. The same effect can be obtained by placing the subject near a broad expanse of windows that are not in direct sun. Artists and some photographers build a picture window (no pun intended) on their studio’s north wall.