Artificial lighting often requires fill light. Light from a single photoflood or flash
often produces a very contrasty light in which the shaded side of the face will be
very dark if the lit side is exposed and printed normally. Notice how dark the shaded
areas are in the single-light portraits shown in Figures 21.10–15. You might want
such contrasty lighting for certain photographs, but ordinarily fill light would be
added to make the shadows lighter (see Figure 21.16).320 ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TODIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
FIGURE 21.16
A softer
photoflood/
studio light fills
in shadows and
creates detail.Some daylight scenes benefit from fill light. It is easier to get a pleasant expression
on a person’s face in a sunlit outdoor portrait if the subject is lit from the side or
from behind and is not squinting directly into the sun. These positions, however, can
make the shadowed side of the face too dark. In such cases, you can add fill light to
decrease the contrast between the lit and shadowed side of the face. You can also use
fill light outdoors for close-ups of flowers or other relatively small objects in which
the shadows would otherwise be too dark.
A reflector is a simple, effective, and inexpensive way to add fill light. A reflector
placed on the opposite side of the subject from the main light bounces the main
light into shadow areas. A simple reflector, or flat, can be made from a piece of stiff
cardboard, 16×20 inches or larger, with a soft matte white finish on one side. The
other side can be covered with aluminum foil that has first been crumpled and then
partially smoothed flat. The white side will give a soft, diffused, even light suitable