In this quick tutorial with the Photographer David Bergman and AdoramaTV we are going to explore the various color options available with the 6-in-1 reflector.
Mr Bergman explains: “Some photo reflectors come with a cover that has different colors on it, and that will give you a number of unique looks. There are many brands that have a similar set up, but today I’m using the Westcott 42 inch, 6 in-1 reflector, which has four different color options. Let’s talk about why you might use – one color, or the other. The silver side is pretty harsh, and very reflective. It’s almost like using a mirror, and gives you a lot of punch when you bounce the light.”
“The gold side has the same harsh punches of silver, but it changes the color to a much warmer shade. It’s almost unnatural looking, like a really golden deep sunset.”
“Then there’s a gold silver mix which Westcott calls sunlight. It might be my favorite, because it’s warmer than the cold silver side, but gives a more natural look than the full gold side. I personally find this to be the best balance between the two. The gold, silver and sunlight sides, can all be used as a main frontal key-light since they nearly match the intensity of the Sun.”
“In this case, the fourth color is a solid black, and that simply blocks almost all the light from bouncing back. You can use this for negative fill, or add in your own light by using speed.”
“Lastly you can take the cover off completely, and use the reflector just b itself. The thick solid material gives you a much softer reflection. It’s normally used to fill in shadows, and won’t overpower your main light. You won’t see much of an effect on a cloudy day, but if you’ve got sunlight use it to direct some of that light back up into the dark shadow areas.”
“The sixth option for this six and one, is a second reflector, that’s made of a more translucent material and can be used as diffusion. You can either put it between the Sun and your model to soften the light and take away some of that contrast, or you can even shoot your flash through it, to turn the small light source into a much bigger light source.”
*For more information visit AdoramaTV YT page, and of course you can keep up with David on Instagram and Twitter @DavidBergman. LATEST UPDATE: David opened up new IGTV episodes where you can ask him questions live! find out more at http://www.AskDavidBergman.com
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Watch the full episode with David Bergman and Adorama TV: