In tip #11, I gave you ideas on where to place the main light (sunlight). But professional photographers also use what’s known as fill light.
For dramatic shots, the use of one light can look spectacular when done correctly. The goal is to emphasize part of the face and cast the rest into deep shadow. This adds character, but the shadows can also highlight uneven surfaces such as wrinkles, pimples, and some scars. You won’t see it done too often—if at all—in teen fashion magazines, but check out your parents’ magazines and newspapers for examples.
Fill light is used when you want to soften the shadows on your subject. The intensity of the light is less than that of the main light so you maintain the contouring shadows, but they aren’t as harsh as before.
There are two types of fill light available that you can use: the flash and the reflector. Some on-camera flashes allow you to adjust their intensity so that you add just a little light. The goal is the avoid overwhelming the main light. Check your manual to see if this is true for your camera. I’ll be talking more about the flash in a few weeks time.
The other technique available to you is very simple to do and cheap to make. A reflector can be a mirror, a piece of white cardboard, aluminum foil, or the fold away professional type (the round object in the middle photo). The amount of light you want to reflect on your subject will determine which type of reflector to use. For example, the white cardboard reflects less light than the mirror. Try using a piece of cardboard that is covered with a shiny golden material to add a warm glow to your friend’s face. This mimics the effect of the light during the “golden” hour.
The trick is to move the reflector around until you find the lighting you’re looking for (another friend is always useful here). You also need to make sure the reflector is able to catch the main light; otherwise, you won’t have enough light to bounce back onto your friend’s face.
In the photo on the right, I added the silver reflector in front of the teen’s face; the main light was behind her. The exposure was the same for both photos. If I had used the white side of my reflector, the effect would have been subtler.
Okay, now gather all the reflective items you can find—but ask your mom first before you use up her aluminum foil—and play around with them. You can either experiment on your friends or on still life objects.
- Take photos with the aluminum foil flat, and after you’ve crumpled it and re-flattened it.
- Check out the different effects between the shiny and the dull side of the foil.
- Expose (tip # 9) for just the main light, and add the reflector before taking the picture.
- Expose for both the main light and the reflector together.
Position the reflector in different locations, such as at the side, closer to the front of your friend, and below her face to see how the different positions change the image. - Experiment with the different reflective surfaces, and study the effects they have on the shadows.
Oh, and don’t forget to take notes so you know what you did.