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Lighting & Flash

Reflector

A panel that bounces existing light back into the shadows, adding fill without a second light source.

Measured in stops

In depth

White gives the softest, most neutral bounce; silver is brighter and more specular; gold warms the light and is easily overdone; black is not a reflector at all but a negative fill that removes light. The key limitation is that a reflector can only return light it receives, so it must be placed where the existing light actually falls on it.

Examples in practice

A white reflector held waist-high in front of a backlit subject lifts the face by about a stop and a half.