A Giant Reflector Flood
Sometimes it is useful to have a studio light with a very large reflector. When it is used very close to your subject it can provide both the direction of light you may want and at the same time fill the shadows. Used in this way it is very good for close up portraiture. When used further away from your subject the coverage, in terms of illumination provided, is helpful when photographing full length figures. The great thing about this kind of lighting system is that it simplifies the whole approach to studio lighting. It is true that many picture shooting situations need more than one light depending on the required effect, but at the same time a simple lighting set-up if often the way to get better pictures.
Large lights like this are expensive to buy, so why not go down the DIY road. As an experiment I tried this myself. First I had to think about how it could be done. What was needed was something that could be used to make a large enough reflector. After considering dust bin lids, not large enough, the obvious choice would seem to be a big umbrella. The required reflector had to be light in weight to be portable, so I thought perhaps papier mache might be an answer.
A large umbrella was first covered with kitchen cling film to avoid damaging it, then strips of newspaper soaked in wallpaper glue were added to its outer surface. This provided a reflector 120 cm (about 4ft) in diameter. The layers of paper were built up until the covering was about 3mm thick. As I went along I embedded stiff wire in roughly the same positions as the umbrella struts were situated. I guessed that a thin paper structure of this size might need some extra stiffening in order to retain its shape.
When the papier mache had dried, this takes several days even in dry conditions; it was lifted off the umbrella which could then be returned to its normal use. The next step was to cut a hole in the middle of the back of the reflector and make a simple pivoting unit to fix it to a lighting stand, and provide a small shelf for the flash head to stand on and be secured. This can be seen in the picture here of the unit at the half built stage. The reflector was then painted white inside and black on the outside. The final operation was to fix a round metal disc, in this case a biscuit tin lid, just in front of the flash head inside the big reflector to prevent any direct light from it hitting the subject. The whole unit is reasonably light for its size and remarkably flexible to use. Its construction was well worth the effort.
Examples
This portrait head is taken just using the large light. The light was placed quite close to the subject and it gives a diffused but directional light to her face. At the same time the shadows are filled, so no addition lighting was needed. It also lit the background. This image was converted to monochrome and then colour added to produce this effect.
Here the light was moved back from the subject who is shown posing with one of my own cameras.
The lighting now seems more directional but the shadows are still filled. The position of the light was high and to the right of my camera; a classic 45 degree lighting set-up. A second weak light was pointed at the background to lighten one side of it. Its light was kept off the subject.
This example shows a situation about midway between the two previous shots. Still a soft lighting effect with filled shadows and smooth rendering of the girl’s face and skin. The only difference is that a second light again, a medium size soft box, was directed straight at the background to lighten it leaving a small amount of light to spill onto her shoulder.
