Pixiq

Reflectors

The simplest way to soften or diffuse a light source–or reduce its contrast–is to bounce the light off of a white wall. This is easy to do in a small, white-walled studio. Simply point the lamps toward a wall and bounce the light onto the subject.

A much better reflector is also one of the simplest: a piece of white foam board or poster board. These large white cards are handy to have around the studio. They are the big brothers of those little white cardboard or plastic bounce cards used by press photographers and paparazzi on their camera flashes.

Instead of walls and white poster board, you can get all sorts of ready made flat reflectors. These fabric reflectors come in gold, silver, soft white, and other surfaces that not only soften light (soft white surface), but can warm it up (gold surface) or add some sparkle (silver). There are square reflectors and circular reflectors. They work equally well and come in sizes from 6 inches (15.2 cm) to 8 feet (2.44 meters) in diameter. The reflector material is held in place on a flexible metal frame. With a twist of their frames, these reflectors collapse and fold for easy storage.

This 24 inch (61 cm) circular reflector is silver on one side and soft white on the other, providing choices for altering the quality of the light. When not in use, it folds into a small 8 inch (20.3 cm) carrying case.

It may look like protection from rain, but the real purpose of a photo umbrella is to bounce and soften the light. It attaches to your light source with the inside facing the object.

Umbrellas

Another type of light reflector is the photo umbrella which looks like an ordinary rain umbrella. The big difference between the two is that the photo umbrella is made out of the same material as reflector disks. Again, there are color choices of white, silver, gold, and more.

Courtesy Opus Pro Photo Lighting Equipment

Umbrellas are attached either to a light stand near the light source or mounted directly to the light housing. The light is pointed into the umbrella to bounce it, while the umbrella is aimed with its open side facing the subject. The umbrella’s curve concentrates the bounced light, meaning less is lost compared to a flat reflector. You can also use the umbrella by turning its pointed end towards the subject and shooting through the umbrella to soften the light. The quality of the light produced by each of these applications is different from the other, but they give you choices for more control over your photograph.

Softboxes

Softboxes are rectangular nylon boxes that are mounted on the light source–usually with an adapter. They are available in several sizes. The side of the softbox opposite the light source is a thin piece of translucent material that diffuses the light passing through it (this creates less light loss than an umbrella). Inside the box, the amount of light directed toward the subject is increased by opaque white or silver sidewalls.

The softbox is particularly useful for the photography of things like tall vases, ceramic bowls, or similar subjects. Suspended directly over the work, the softbox not only illuminates the object, but adds a pleasing rim light to the top edge of the piece that helps separate object from the background.

Light Tents

Light tents take the logic of the softbox one step further. Instead of surrounding the light source with fabric to soften it, the light tent wraps its fabric around the subject. While the softbox softens a single light source, the light tent softens all the light falling on the subject. This advantage allows you to use several light sources simultaneously, placing them in different positions around the tent. It is as though an overcast day has been created inside the light tent, making it particularly useful for shooting shiny objects.

Light tents are made of white translucent materials mounted on flexible metal hoops. Like photo reflectors, light tents come in a variety of sizes but can collapse and fold for smaller storage. As a rule of thumb, the tent should be larger than the object being photographed. For example if you shoot jewelry, an 18 inch square (45.7 cm) tent should be your minimum size, but a 24 inch square tent (61 cm) will give you much more working room. For bigger subjects, objects that are perhaps 15 – 24 inches (38 – 61 cm) tall or wide, for example, I use a 48 inch (121.9 cm) tent. Not too long ago there were only a couple of expensive light tents on the market. Now there are dozens of inexpensive models available.

A light tent creates an environment that is like an overcast day. This one is a 24 inch cube (61 cm), which is large enough to use with objects that are 12 inches in height (30.5 cm) or shorter.

There are also small plastic domes available that are placed over your piece to diffuse light. They work well with some objects, however their use is limited because they only offer one shooting distance and one angle of view (straight down) of the subject.

In addition, a number of companies offer complete tabletop studio kits at reasonable prices. These kits typically include a small light tent, a backdrop, and two small lights on short tabletop light stands. I have used several of these, and my biggest concern is that the lights are often too weak for the results I’m after. That said, I do think these kits are well worth their rather modest costs.

In-Camera Metering Systems

Built-in exposure metering systems in digital cameras read the light reflected off a subject and are designed to find the proper exposure in a wide variety of situations. Your particular camera may or may not offer all metering selections described in the exposure section (see page 29–33). Learn how to work with the options available on your camera whether they are evaluative, center-weighted, or spot. Of these, spot metering can be especially useful in the studio for shooting objects.

The ability of a spot metering system to measure the exposure of a specific area of a subject can be critical. When photographing objects on sizeable expanses of white or black background, metering systems that read these large areas of the background can misinterpret correct exposure for the subject. In addition, translucent subjects create challenging exposure situations, as bright areas of glass, for example, can cause incorrect exposure readings.

With the built-in exposure metering set for spot metering, correct exposure in such situations is easier to determine. Find an area of the subject that is close to middle gray in tone (not color). This is a darkish tone something like that of new denim jeans. Using either the viewfinder or the LCD monitor, move the target for the spot meter over the area you want to read. On many cameras you can set this exposure by pressing and holding the shutter release halfway. Keeping pressure on the shutter release, recompose and finish pressing the shutter release down to take the picture. Many advanced digital cameras have an Auto Exposure Lock (AEL) button that makes reframing easier by maintaining the exposure readings you’ve made.

Accessory Exposure Meters

Sometimes even sophisticated in-camera metering systems can make exposure mistakes. They can have trouble reading the right exposure in complex lighting situations where multiple light sources may be used, with back lighting, or when shooting with studio flashes.

For either continuous light or a flash reading, hold an incident light meter in front of the subject with its dome pointed at the camera.