So I’ve been taking more photos lately, especially portraits of my kids in the backyard. Kept noticing their faces looked kinda shadowy when the sun was high up. One day I thought – time to figure out those shiny discs and extra lights photographers always talk about.
The Reflector Test
First I grabbed this silver car sunshade from my garage – you know, the foldable kind. Held it under my kid’s chin while the sun was behind them. Bam! Suddenly their whole face lit up like I’d added a softbox. Tilted it sideways and saw how it bounced light onto the dark side of their nose. Messed around with gold side too – made skin look weirdly orange, like fake tan spilled everywhere. Silver worked best for us fair-skinned folks.
Bringing Out the Fill Light
Then I dug out my grandma’s old desk lamp with bendy neck. Stuck a white t-shirt over it to soften the glow. Positioned it near my feet pointing upward toward their face. At first it looked flat and weird, like department store lighting. Moved it sideways about 45 degrees – finally saw nice depth without heavy shadows under the eyes. Almost dropped the lamp when my dog bumped into the extension cord!
Combining Both
Got brave and used both tools together. Had my kid sit under a tree with harsh light patches. Used reflector to bounce sunlight onto right side of face, then put the ghetto lamp on left at low power. Results surprised me:
- Reflector : Killed harsh jawline shadows but didn’t reach eye sockets
- Lamp: Filled the creepy hollows under brows
- Together: Made racoon eyes disappear! Like natural daylight all over
Main lesson? Reflector works with existing light while fill light creates its own. Like using a mirror versus turning on a flashlight. Won’t lie – took 20 failed shots before getting the angles right. Almost fried my lamp using full brightness too – made everyone squint like they’d seen a ghost. Keep fill lights subtle, folks!
