Full Frame or APS-C for Wildlife Photography – Which is Best?

By: Tom Mason

Choosing between a full frame or cropped sensor camera for wildlife photography can be a tough decision. Both options offer their own benefits, so choosing between the two can cause quite the headache. Lots of photographers have their opinions, but choosing what’s right for your own use will largely come down to your personal style of shooting. So let’s break it down.

The Basics

Most modern camera companies use either full frame or APS-C (crop) type sensors in their DSLR (and mirrorless) cameras. The former is often classed as the professional standard, with the sensor size being a close replica to that of a 35mm film negative.
APS-C on the other hand, is roughly two thirds the size of a full frame sensor, resulting in the field of view being multiplied by a factor of 1.5-1.6x that of a standard full frame model. These sensors feature mostly in the lower tiered offerings by camera companies, with the chips being less expensive to produce.

Working with APS-C means you can travel lighter.

Crop Factor

For APS-C models one of the largest benefits for wildlife photographers is that of the additional crop factor. The 1.5-1.6x magnification of your optics can be hugely beneficial when working out in the field, trying to photograph small birds or distant wildlife.
The crop factor also allows you to get a similar angle of view with a far smaller lens, helping to reduce the gear you need to carry while still giving you great telephoto reach. This is something a lot of photographers find as a huge benefit, as they can minimize the size and weight of the gear they need to carry out into the field.
For example, a 70-200mm lens on a 1.5x crop-factor body gives you the equivalent of a 105-300mm lens. A perfect compact wildlife setup.

APS-C cameras crop factor can be a great benefit for wildlife photography.

ISO Sensitivity

One of the large benefits of a full frame camera is that of better image quality when shooting at high ISO. The larger sensor means in the individual pixels (and light sensitive photo sites) are larger than those on an APS-C type camera. This means as a general rule they are more sensitive to light, allowing cleaner noise-free images at high ISO settings, something that is fabulous when trying to work and photograph wildlife in low light conditions.
Now with modern sensor advances, APS-C models of the past few years have come up leaps and bounds in terms of ISO performance – easily being useable to ISO 6,400. But, if low light usability is key for the subjects you’re working with, a full frame camera is still king.

APS-C cameras can still make great results at a high ISO.

Depth of Field

When comparing that of full frame sensors with APS-C models, one extra thing to consider is the depth of field characteristics and how areas are rendered out of focus.
With the smaller sensor in APS-C models, they give the effect of having a larger depth of field at equivalent apertures when compared to a full frame camera. This means that if you are going after images that render clean bokeh and have a very restricted depth of field to isolate and direct your viewer’s attention to your subject, a full frame model will be better suited.

Full frame cameras are great for shallow depth of field effects.

Of course, if you do a large amount of macro work and want to maximize the depth then an APS-C camera might be right up your alley.

Resolution

In the past few years, technology has advanced in resolution steadily, with cameras being introduced that have high 36-42 megapixel sensors. For the most part, ultra high-res sensors have been used in the realms of advertising and commercial photography for years. But of course, now having been brought into DSLRs they offer photographers more flexibility.
The high resolutions models are mainly full frame sensors, as packing huge numbers of pixels onto small sensors can heavily impact their quality. The FX models that have high resolution offer a unique advantage, as they make the most of the benefits of full frame models, yet offer the ability to crop heavily to replicate the crop factor of those advanced APS-C DSLRs.
Often a disadvantage is that these high-resolution cameras are slower in terms of frames per second, due to internal data writing limitations. But this is advancing all the time, especially with new forms of storage media offering faster write times.

High megapixel full frame cameras offer great all-around performance.

The full frame camera with a high-resolution sensor can be somewhat of a perfect compromise for those wanting the ISO performance and bokeh rendering benefits of full frame, combined with the ability to crop. Providing, of course, that they aren’t to hung up on needing blazing fast frame per second shooting rates.

Cost

One factor that always plays a part when looking to buy new gear is that of cost. Full frame bodies by their nature are more expensive, with the chips inside being harder to engineer and more expensive to produce. APS-C cameras are often found at lower price points, but this depends on the body design and extra features such as speed, construction, and technologies implemented.
Some full spec APS-C cameras are significantly more expensive than full frame models due to the advanced autofocus features, frame rates, and build quality.

So what to choose?

For wildlife photography, it largely depends on your target subjects.
If you love photographing birds and small creatures, a high-end APS-C body that combines the crop factor with speed will serve you well. The crop factor is also a huge benefit if you want to get a longer telephoto reach without having to shell out for ultra-expensive super telephoto lenses. Meaning you can have a small set up that offers a good compromise for most situations.

If you want to truly get the best performance and quality, full frame models are where to look. The high-resolution sensors and excellent low light performance make for great image quality. However, of course, you’ll also need to invest in the best optics to make the most of them.
These are both costly and a large burden to carry around. However, if you want the best quality imaginable that’s what it takes. For those starting out investing, an APS-C model would be my recommendation. Save your funds to buy decent quality lenses, as these will largely make more of a difference to your images than a single stop of ISO or a slightly higher resolution sensor.

Share this article.

I hope you're enjoying the free Ebooks.  I know that taking Photography Courses can be expensive, so I'm currently posting one free ebook per week. (Feel free to share these freebies with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, Instagram, Pinterest, & Reddit)  For those of you who'd rather learn faster, check out the website at the bottom of this page. Either way, thanks for stopping by, and enjoy.

The Shy Photographer's Guide to Confidence, by Lauren Lim

Many of us are shy when it comes to photographing in certain situations but that's definitely not something that cannot be taken care of. In this eBook, photographer Lauren Lim tackles the issue by providing you practical tips that will boost your confidence during a photoshoot, in a meetings or while traveling.

Review of the Nikon D850 DSLR

By: Leanne Cole

The latest addition to the Nikon line up has been a highly anticipated full frame camera. While many other cameras were being updated rumors started circulating 12 months ago that the D810 would be updated. Finally, the news came that the Nikon D850 was being released. It seemed like everyone in the photography industry was looking forward to it. So much speculation – what will it have, and how will it perform?

The Nikon D850 with the 14-24mm lens.

The Hype

There was similar hype around 5 years ago when Nikon released the D800. It was almost 12 months before I was able to get one, and when the talk started on this one I knew that I would be getting one. The D800 has been an amazing camera and by far the best I’ve ever owned. But it is showing its age and doing long exposures with it was becoming harder. The logical update was always going to be the replacement for the D810.
What I needed was a camera capable of taking long exposures without the problem of dead or hot pixels. I wanted a touchscreen as others I’ve used have been fantastic. I had hoped that with Live View it would be possible to see through ND Filters without having to remove them all the time. While it wasn’t necessary, being able to transfer photos from the camera to the phone would be handy as well.
Once the camera was released and I finally got my hands on one, there was nothing to be disappointed about. It lived up to my expectations, perhaps even more. It is a complicated camera, and the phrase being used, “A game changer” is true. It does a lot and it is going to take some time to learn all that my new camera can do.

An early morning image of the city with reflections.

First impressions of the D850

For most people, it will seem like a gigantic camera. However, those that have been using the D800 or D810 will not be surprised. It is slightly bigger, but not a lot. The weight is around the same as well. Overall it looks almost the same. As you start to study the D850 you can see how some functions have changed positions. I keep pressing the mode button now to change the ISO.

Doing a long exposure on the top of a cliff with the Nikon D850.

45.7 MP Sensor

The big thing to test was going to be the massive 45.7-megapixel sensor. In most of the other Nikon cameras Sony sensors have been used, however, Nikon has developed their own for the D850. It is said to be sharp and create very crisp images. That would appear to be true so far. There is a warning about using low-quality lenses on it, which can create a lot of chromatic aberration. So far, I have noticed that.

Touchscreen

Nikon has given the D850 a touch screen, and I am so happy. Touchscreens make navigating around the menu so much easier. You can flick through your photos very easily, or change a setting in the menu.
With the touchscreen activated, you can also focus the camera and take your photos, whether you are using a tripod or not. With the Bulb setting, you can now touch the screen to open the shutter, and then tap again to close it. This means that when you go out to take long exposures you don’t have to worry so much about a remote shutter release or intervalometer. It doesn’t have a timer or display how much time has elapsed, but there are always ways around that, like using your phone.

Capturing a single light trail from a bicycle along Southbank at night.

The LCD Screen can be manipulated

Like other models, you can now manipulate the screen so you can move it to help you take photos in Live Mode, or when using the playback function. If you like taking photos close to the ground you can do that now without having to get on the ground yourself or having to guess at the composition. I’m getting too old to get down on the ground, getting back up isn’t so easy, so this function is one that I’ve been eagerly awaiting.

The front of the D850, set up for a long exposure.

Using Live View for Long Exposures

One of the frustrating things about doing long exposures with the D800 was having to constantly remove the filters every time you wanted to recompose your image. They were too dark for the camera to see through. The Canon 5D Mark IV is capable of seeing through the filters in Live View, so I was really hoping the Nikon D850 would have that capability as well. I’m happy to report that it does.
It doesn’t quite work the same way, you do have to open the aperture up a bit, but you don’t have to remove the filters. If you can open it up to f/2.8 then it is like there are no filters there at all. It will also make it easier to use graduated filters and polarizers when doing long exposure photography.

The camera photographing the Dragon’s Head.

As someone who loves doing long exposures, this new feature is a very welcome addition to the camera. It is something that I will use a lot. My workflow when shooting has changed from never using Live View, to using it constantly.
One of the major advantages of shooting with Live View is that your mirror is up, so you don’t get those minute vibrations when you are taking an image.

ISO

One of the biggest problems with photography is low light. While in most situations you can use a tripod, there are some situations that mean it is just isn’t possible. With an ISO rating up to 25,600, you can take photos easily without a tripod.

Capturing Christmas windows using ISO 25600.

There will be noise in the images, that is one thing you can’t avoid. However, compared with what you got with the earlier models in the D800 series it’s a big improvement. You could comfortably go up to ISO 2000, perhaps even higher and get images that you would be happy with.
At the other end of the scale, you can go to ISO 64 when you want the best quality images in the right lighting conditions or when using your tripod. Most cameras only go to 100, so having that extra step means finer grain or almost no noise in your images.

Some of the controls are in different places

While the basic setup is very similar to all Nikon cameras, there are some things that have changed from previous models (for me, that is compared to the D800). The Mode button is on the left top buttons with the WB and QUAL. ISO is now over near the Shutter button. The Bracket feature is now set where the flash button used to be.
Overall, the camera is much the same. The menu system remains very similar to previous models and is easy to understand. It is one thing that has always been good with Nikon, you can go from one model to another and still be able to figure out how it works.

Late afternoon in the city of Melbourne.

No flash

One major change from the D800 and D810 is the removal of the built-in flash. For most users, it was not necessary and the flash popping up could create problems. You can still attach an external flash to it, so for most this isn’t going to be a problem as they would use that option anyway.

3 Different RAW sizes

One the main concerns with the camera was the 45.7-megapixel sensor. The more MPs it has the larger the images will be. Storage can become a problem, especially when shooting in RAW. The D850 now comes with three different sizes of RAW files. You can choose to shoot RAW images in Large, Medium or Small. The large will take images that are 8256 x 5504 pixels, while the small will take images that are 4128 x 2752 pixels, similar to a cropped sensor.
Having the choice of deciding how big your image will be is a good function to add. If you know you are going to take a photo for social media, with no intention of doing anything else, then using the small option makes sense. However, if you are going to be taking photos for a client or for printing on a big scale then the large size is the best choice.

Doing a long exposure of the Dragon’s Head on the Rye back beach.

Fast frames per second burst mode

I went from a Nikon D300s, that could shoot 6-7 frames per second to the D800 which was capable of only four. It was a shock and possibly one of the biggest disappointments with that camera. It always seemed clunky when you were taking several images at once, especially for bracketing.
It’s good to see they have sped up the frame rate in the D850. It will take around 6 images a second, so it is reasonably fast. When you are bracketing there is less chance of a mistake when taking a series of images. It is great to hear how fast it shoots the frames.

Using the Nikon D850 at the zoo to capture birds.

The XQD card

With the release of the Nikon D850, we also see that it has two memory card slots; one for an SD card, and the other for an XQD card. As the file sizes are large, and you can take many images per second, you also need a card that can keep up. The XQD cards are good for writing your images quickly so you shouldn’t have moments where you can’t shoot because the camera is saving your images onto the card.
These cards are quite expensive. Not many manufacturers are making them, the one I got was made by Sony. You also need to get a memory card reader for these as well. I purchased mine from B&H, it was 128GB and cost almost $200.

Capturing a waterfall with a long exposure.

Wifi and Snapbridge

Nikon cameras that have Snapbridge allow you to use your phone with the camera. You can download images to it, for easy loading to social media when you are out and about. There is also the option for your phone to capture GPS data for future reference.
When Snapbridge was first released there was a lot of negative publicity about it. People said it didn’t work properly, and if we are being honest, it wasn’t great. But it has improved a lot. It is now easier to connect your camera to your phone to look at photos. You can have it set up so it automatically transfers the images to your phone. They go into the cloud, so they don’t take up any room on your phone.
The only downside seems to be that to get your images to your phone you have to shoot in jpeg format. Considering the target market of who will be using the D850 (mostly pros), it is a bit disappointing. Most users will be taking their photos in RAW format and won’t be able to do that.
To overcome this, I decided to shoot in RAW and basic JPG. You don’t need high-quality JPGs to share, and basic is fine for social media. Once the files are all downloaded to my computer I select all the jpegs and delete them. It does mean that you will be using more memory on your cards, but I have 128GB cards, so it isn’t going to be an issue that often. I would also only use this selection if I knew that I wanted to capture an image to share, otherwise I would choose RAW only.
Snapbridge will keep the firmware on your camera up to date which is great, otherwise, it only happens if you get it serviced. One thing that is a definitely a plus for someone like me is that the app will also make sure the time and date are correct on your camera by syncing it with your phone. You don’t have to worry about daylight savings and changing the camera settings for it anymore (or when you travel and change time zones).

The D850 with the Lensbaby Velvet 56 photographing macro flowers.

Battery life

The experience of other cameras has shown that using Live View can drain your battery. Earlier this year I had an opportunity to try out the Canon 5D Mark IV and when using Live View for long exposures the battery did drain very quickly. You would get maybe three hours with it when using that mode. With the Nikon D850, using Live View it doesn’t drain the battery as quickly.
A fully charged battery for normal use will last a few days, with heavy use a day or so. The Nikon batteries are very good, and if you want spares, it is advisable to go for regular Nikon ones over third-party options.

An image taken at sunrise with the Nikon D850.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, those who described the Nikon D850 as a game changer were not lying. It’s one of the most sophisticated cameras on the market. While hailed as a great camera for landscape photographers, it is also suitable for many other genres of photography as well. One has to wonder what they will do to the next generation of the D5 to make it better than the D850.
For more information on the specifications, click here to go to Nikon. The camera retails on Amazon for $3,295.
I would give the camera a rating of 9.9 out of 10, maybe even a 10. I love the Nikon D850, it is the best camera I’ve ever used.

Share this article.

How to Avoid Blurry Long Exposure Images with Proper Tripod Setup

By: Joey J

A tripod is an important piece of gear for all photographers, but even more so for those who are hooked on shooting long exposure photography at the blue hour like myself (I primarily shoot waterfront cityscapes). Those photos require exposures lasting for minutes with a use of neutral density (ND) filter. Therefore, a sturdy tripod is absolutely essential to keep photos sharp.

A sturdy tripod is a must for long exposure photography, as there is no chance
at all of shooting sharp photos by hahand-holding a camera for minutes.

Get a Best Tripod Within Your Budget

This article is not your ultimate tripod buying guide (dPS already has an excellent article on that here), but let me mention a few brief pointers first.
First of all, unlike your camera body, a tripod isn’t something you will upgrade very often. In fact, a good one could last a lifetime, so it’s advisable to get the best possible tripod within your budget. Here are a few other things to look out for when choosing your tripod.

Load Capacity:

The maximum load capacity of your tripod should be at least twice or preferably three times the maximum weight of your camera body and biggest lens combined. For example, my trusty Manfrotto MT190CXPRO3 Carbon Fiber Tripod supports up to 7kg, which is more than sufficient for my Nikon D610 (850g) and Nikon 18-35mm (f/3.5-4.5) (385g) combined (1.25kg).

Tripod Head:

Your tripod head also has a maximum load capacity, and it should at least match that of your tripod. If your tripod supports up to 7kg, but the head only supports up to 5kg, then the load capacity of the entire tripod system is to be 5kg, as the maximum load comes from the weaker component. For your information, I own the SIRUI K-20X Ballhead, which supports a whopping 25kg.

Tripod Weight:

Decent tripods are commonly made of aluminum or carbon fiber. Both are equally good, but carbon fiber tripods are lighter yet more resistant to vibration (hence they are also pricier, too). My Manfrotto Carbon Fiber Tripod weighs 1.6kg (3.5 lbs.) while its aluminum counterpart the Manfrotto MT190XPRO3 weighs 2kg (4.5 lbs.), with all the other specs being pretty much identical).

Tripod Leg Sections:

While 3-section legs provide a more stable platform, tripods with 4-section legs have a shorter closed (folded up for transportation) length and make it easier to pack into a suitcase when traveling. For example, closed length for my 3-section leg Manfrotto MT190CXPRO3 Carbon Fiber Tripod is 61 cm (24 inches), but its 4-section counterpart the Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 is only 52 cm (20.5 inches).
If you ask me, I recommend choosing nothing but 3-section tripod legs. I personally won’t compromise stability for convenience. That said, my tripod still fits into my check-in luggage (after taking out the center column). Before purchasing, I even tested it by bringing my luggage to the camera shop!

Tall Isn’t Always Cool

Having a good tripod is one thing, but using it correct way is another. I see way too many photographers fully extending tripod legs even when it’s not necessary. The rule of thumb is that the higher the tripod legs are extended, the less stable it gets, leaving more prone to high winds and undermining your chance of taking sharp photos. The photo below (at Victoria Peak in Hong Kong, with an altitude of 552m) is a good example.

To take blur-free shots here, I kept the tripod low and put the lens through the bars, rather than fully extending the tripod legs and center column to shoot from above the railing.

Instead of fully extending the tripod legs (and even the center column, which is a big NO-NO) to position the camera above the railing, I put the lens through the bars and kept the tripod as low as needed to minimize the risk of vibration.
Actually, I learned this from a previous mistake. I shot at this exact location the previous year but screwed up the opportunity by setting up the tripod too tall (over the railing by extending the center column) in high winds, and none of the photos came out sharp.

Extending the center column in high winds or when shooting long exposure photography
is a recipe for a disaster. It’s very unlikely that you’ll be able to capture sharp photos this way.

Long Exposure Photographers’ Worst Nightmare

Let’s say you’re shooting waterfront cityscapes at blue hour with a few minutes of long exposure at a tourist-centric area (places like Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, The Bund in Shanghai, etc.) on your holiday. It may be your once-in-a-lifetime trip, and the weather is clear and perfect.
Such places are always crowded especially at sunset and dusk times with herds of tourists flocking to take snaps, selfies, and groupies. Extending all the tripod legs inevitably takes more space on the ground, which has a huge risk of someone accidentally kicking it during long exposure and ruining your potentially epic shot. This is long exposure photographers’ worst nightmare (and happened to me once).

At a crowded photography location like this (Merlion Park in Singapore), keep your
tripod setup as low as possible so that it takes less space on the ground and reduces
the risk of someone accidentally kicking your tripod legs.

Tripod Alternatives

To avoid such a nightmare, I’m also using a sort of a tripod alternative that helps stabilize my camera setup. A clamp tripod like the Manfrotto 035 Super Clamp without Stud comes in handy at places with high winds or at crowded city shooting locations where you feel worried about someone accidentally kicking your tripod legs.
It’s not that you can use a clamp tripod anywhere you want, as it needs a railing or something that it can be clamped onto. But where possible, this setup can be rock solid (with a load capacity of 15kg) and the resulting long exposure photos are appreciably sharper than those shot using a regular tripod.

A Super Clamp is like a game changer, it’s small and strong.

To mount a DSLR on a Super Clamp, first, plug a separately-sold Manfrotto 208HEX 3/8-Inch Camera Mounting Platform Adapter (or a cheaper alternative Manfrotto 037 Reversible Short Stud) into a Super Clamp socket and secure it with the double lock system. Then mount a tripod head with DSLR on the mounting platform adapter, just like you do with your regular tripod.

Conclusion

I hope these tips help you avoid making the same mistakes I did. Don’t blindly follow the mantra that says, “Extend your tripod and place the viewfinder at your eye level” (you’ve probably heard about that before!).
There’s nothing wrong with setting up your tripod low and bending down. This increases your chance of capturing sharp long exposure photos in high winds and also prevents your tripod legs from getting accidentally kicked.
If you have any other tips or experiences to share, please do so in the comments below.

Share this article.

10 Ways to Use a 5-in-1 Reflector

By: John McIntire

#Reflector#QualityofLight#WhiteBalance

In photography books, magazines, and websites, references to reflectors are often and many. They’re a quintessential tool for modifying light in just about every genre, and they’re an indispensable part of many photographers’ toolkits.
If you’re new to the idea of using reflectors, or new to photography in general, the problem with reflectors is that, although they seem self-explanatory in use, their effects can often be too subtle to be noticed if you lack experience using them. To combat this, and make the learning process easier, this article will give you examples of 10 common uses for a 5-in-1 reflector. It will also show you what the reflector is doing in each instance, as well as provide diagrams for you to repeat the exercise in your own time.
The best way to take full advantage of the information in this article, is to duplicate all of the following setups, using your own equipment and subjects. Once you understand the basics outlined here, you can start experimenting, and altering variables, to see how small changes can affect your images.

What is a 5-in-1 reflector?

A 5-in-1 reflector is a nifty gadget that incorporates several different types of reflector, into one portable and easy to use package. These include white, silver, gold, black reflectors (or flag), and a diffusion panel.
The way they are put together is that the four reflector sides are sewn into a sort of pouch, that fits around the diffusion panel; making a change to a different color as simple as unzipping it, removing the diffusion panel, turning the pouch inside out, and replacing it over the diffusion panel.

Clarifications

This article focuses on practical uses for 5-in-1 reflectors, but to use and understand them most effectively there a couple things to keep in mind.

Quality of light

When referring to the quality of light, this term has nothing to do with whether light is good or bad. The word quality refers to the physical properties, traits, or characteristics of the light. These properties include the softness or hardness, the shape, the color, and the intensity of the light.
A little confusing, I know, but it’s just one of the many quirks of the English language. If it helps, try to remember there is no such thing as good or bad light; only light more suitable for a different subject.

Softness, hardness and intensity

In terms of reflectors, it is important to understand how they modify your light.
Softness and hardness are affected by the apparent size of your light source. If you move your reflector closer to your subject, you get softer light. If you take it further back, you get harder light. The same applies to different sized reflectors. A larger reflector, at the same distance from the subject as a smaller one, will produce softer light, while the smaller one (in the same position) will produce harder light. However, if you put the larger one farther away from the subject, and the smaller one closer – they may become equal.
When swapping between the colors on your 5-in-1 reflector, from white to silver for example, the properties of the light you are altering are the color and the intensity. Providing that the reflector hasn’t moved, a silver and a white reflector will give the same softness/hardness of light. However, a silver reflector will reflect more light than a white one, thereby providing more intensity. Because of this, anytime you change out your reflectors, you will also need to alter your exposure settings.
Additionally, using a different colored reflector will change the color of the light and you may need to alter your white balance settings. The exception to this is when using a gold reflector which is often done to intentionally add a color cast to the image.

Exercises

Exercise One – white/silver on the side

This first example may be the most common way to use a reflector. The light is illuminating the subject from camera left. This is causing dark shadows on the subject’s face at camera right. While these shadows can often be pleasing and acceptable, at other times you may choose to fill them in with additional light. This is where the reflector comes into play.
To do this, place your reflector, either silver or white, to the side and close to your subject, facing the light. This will fill in the shadows, brightening up the frame.
Note: You can also vary the intensity of the light reflected by moving the reflector toward, or away from the subject. Move it closer to brighten the shadows more, move it away to have less fill-light and darken the shadows.

Left: without reflector. Right: with reflector

Exercise Two – white/silver from below

This setup is also very common, and is a slight variation on exercise one above. Here, the reflector is placed underneath your subject, and is filling in shadows from below.

Left: no reflector. Right: with reflector.

Note: be very careful doing this on a subject that is heavy-set or has a double chin, as it will highlight that and make it stand out more – not overly flattering for them. You could also light up the nostrils so be conscious of that as well.

Exercise Three – white/silver bend it

You can also take advantage of a 5-in-1 reflectors lack of rigidity, by shaping it. This will allow you to mould your light, to fill in shadows that may not have been affected by a flat reflector. To do this, simply hold two opposite sides of your reflector and bend it inwards, thus creating a curved surface that will fill in shadows that a flat surface could not reach.

Left: no reflector. Right: reflector in place bent to fit.

Exercise Four – white/silver

In this example, the light source is coming from behind the subject. The reflector is used parallel to the light source in order to bring detail into the heavy shadows caused by the backlighting technique. While it is possible to use this technique for portraits, it can be tricky. However, it comes into its own in food photography and other still life situations.

Left: no reflector with strong backlight. Right: with reflector.

Exercise Five – white/silver

If your light source is small, and the light is too hard for the effect you are trying to achieve, 5-in-1 reflectors offer a few options to help you soften the light.
Here, instead of lighting your subject directly with the light source, bounce the light off of the reflector. Doing this effectively increases the size of your light source, thereby softening it. You will lose some of the intensity of the light doing this, and you will need to meter for the reflected light, rather than the output from your flash.

Left: direct, small light source. Right: light bounced off white reflector.

Diffusion

Exercise Six – diffusion panel

Another way to soften hard light with a 5-in-1 reflector, is to use the diffusion panel. Simply place the diffusion panel somewhere between your light source and subject, making sure that all of the light is hitting the reflector. Diffusion panels do come with an inherent loss of light. Many are designed to cut down two stops of light, but this will depend on your exact reflector. As such, you will want to calculate your exposure with the diffusion panel in place, before taking any images.
Where this technique really comes into its own, is that you can move the diffusion panel anywhere between your light source and the subject, without altering your exposure. This allows you to manipulate the shape and quality of your light in moments, without having to further alter your settings.

Left no diffusion, small hard light source. Right with diffusion panel in place, softens the light.

Black reflector

Exercise Seven – black reflector or flag

For the first use of your flag, use it as you would a white or silver reflector, as in example one above. Doing this with the black side of your reflector will help to deepen, and intensify the shadows on your subject. This technique isn’t as common as the others, but it can be used to great creative effect.

The difference is subtle but look at the shadows.

Exercise Eight – black reflector or flag

Instead of reflecting light, you can also use your flag to block, and shape the light in your scene. With the black side of the reflector facing your subject, hold it so that it obscures a large portion of your light source. This technique can be use in lieu of time consuming modifier changes, and can allow for some dramatic lighting effects without a great deal of equipment.

Left: before. Right: after.

Exercise Nine – black reflector or flag

Another use for your flag is to use it as a background. You probably won’t do this very often, as it isn’t an ideal solution in most cases, but in a pinch you can get rid of messy backgrounds with ease.

Gold reflector

Exercise Ten – gold

To be honest, you will probably never want to use a gold reflector. The effect, and the color cast they provide are often far too intense for most purposes. However, with judicious care, they can be used to provide a warm colored rim light. Here, the reflector is placed behind the subject and is reflecting light back onto her hair.

Left: before. Right: after. Notice the warm tone added to her hair, it’s very subtle.

Just the beginning

These 10 examples barely scratch the surface of what can be accomplished with a 5-in-1 reflector. However, by going through these exercises a number of times, with a variety of subjects, you will quickly begin to notice how reflectors modify light in a given situation. From there you will be able to employ them effectively in your photography. Do you have any other uses or tips for using one? Please share in the comments below.


PIN IT: here’s an image to pin to save this article for later on Pinterest.

Share this article.