#Photography reflector diy how to#

The resulting reflector fits easily into the pocket of my photo bag ( Vanguard Up-Rise 33). Cut the aluminum foil to cover the cardboard. Here is a short photo walk-through of the creation process: The required ingredients: aluminum foil, a piece of cardboard (pink color is not required), a sheet protector, and a sheet of white paper. Along with the cardboard I also put a white paper into the sheet protector to have a second reflector type for some variation. And here is a picture of me holding the foam board you can get it at Office Depot or your local art store for almost no money at all. When you are through, you are likely to have two sheets to fit your reflector, handy if you are making more than one. I shoot hundreds of headshots per year using this simple setup. I used a Nikon SB 800 triggered remotely fired into a westcott 43 shoot through umbrella. Cut around the edges of the board, leaving about 2 inches of space. My standard setup consists of a large soft light source to the left or right of the subject, a reflector under the face, and another reflector opposite the main light source. It’s your choice if you want the shiny side or dull side of the foil. Leave some extra foil on the edges to fold over to the back. This way the reflector hopefully last longer. Creating the reflector Card Below you will find the basic setup for taking Yossi’s portrait shots. Cover the front of your foam board or cardboard with foil. The solution I came up with is to us a transparent sheet protector (punched pocket) for carrying around the cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil.

#Photography reflector diy how to#

So I was thinking how to make things a bit more resilient with stuff available in the household. However, I had the problem that the aluminum foil is not very resistant and after some time starts peel off the cardboard. I own the collapsible reflectors in a bunch of different sizes and colors and even a ridiculously expensive California Sunbounce. This is my favorite reflector to use when shooting models or products in the studio and sometimes even on location.

This is a well known thing and the effect is great. It is simply a 30 x 20 piece of white foam board that you can buy at Walmart for 1.47. Since some time I kept a small piece of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil in my camera bag as an always-with-me reflector, e.g.