A Reflector

I got myself a fun new toy!  A reflector!!  When it first arrived hubby was all like "what do you need that for?"  Silly, hubby.  He doesn't know much about photography.  So anywho, on to the reflector.  I shoot pretty much exclusively with natural light.  I do have one photo bulb downstairs in a cabinet that I used to use with a homemade light box that got destroyed, but it pretty much just lives down there with the spiders.  I like to set up next to a window and use available light when shooting, whether it is posing Cupcake in the window seat, shooting cookies before and after I've taken a bite out of them for taste testing, or when showing off my latest craft project like the Chick-sicles.    

 I stopped into the local camera shop the other day just to look around.  I love to support the local business, but the cheapest reflector they had was $50 and seeing as how I am not a pro and I do not make money with my photography I didn't really feel like I could fork over that much money on something I wasn't sure how much I would use.  So I found this reflector on Amazon.com.  For less than $11 I figured it was worth a shot.  It had pretty good reviews and it seemed to have all the functions of the expensive reflector at the camera shop (although I think it's a tad smaller).  Nope I lied.  I just checked their website.  It's also a 22" reflector.  

So basically it's a light diffusing disc with a slipcover.  The slip cover is reversible and each side is a different color. Black/gold and silver/white.  You simply unzip it, flip it around and zip it back up to change.  Simple!  I realize that I will probably use the white size 95% of the time, but again I only paid $11 for this thing!  So here is my example of how the reflector makes a difference.

This is the first picture I took for my Chick-sicles post.  As you can tell the light was coming from a window on the right hand size.  So the left sides of both chicks is quite shaded and the shadow of the front chick is pretty obvious on the back one.  I thought the picture was OK, but then I remember I had a new reflector and I could do better!!!

So I went in the other room, grabbed my new reflector (this is the first time it's been used!!!), switched the slipcover over to white, held it in my left hand while my right hand did the camera work and bam!  Check out the light on the left side!!!   No more harsh shadows on the sides and the shadow from the blue chick onto the green chick is much less noticeable, right?  Neither of these photos have been edited.  The only difference is the use of the reflector.  Big difference!!!  Oh, I am so excited about this!!  I tried to tell hubby just how exciting it was, but again, he just doesn't get this photography stuff.  I hope you find it interesting, though!  

I forsee a lot more reflector use in my future!!