R
6. THE CALIFORNIA SUNBOUNCE WAY..
R
eflectors are one of my favorite lighting tools—and not just any kind of
reflector, but the California Sunbounce reflectors. I see many photog-
raphers pull out a “pop-up” round reflector, and it often shows how little they
know about light, not just reflected light, but light properties in general. What
I mean by that is we often forget the basic rule of light when using reflectors:
the smaller the light source, the harsher (more specular) it will be on our sub-
jects. The larger the light source, the sweeter (more forgiving) it will be on our
subjects. This fact of light properties is very important when photographing
models, especially glamour subjects—and it is even more important with older
models being photographed for private glamour sessions.
Think about that round reflector. In most cases, your assistant must stand
ten or more feet from the subject to properly grab the sun with a 24- to 36-
inch diameter modifier and reflect light onto the model, especially in full-
length shots. This distance alone makes a pop-up reflector smaller
than the subject, and the point-source beam of light it produces
will blind the model and make her squint. While there are larger
sizes available, they are cumbersome to hold, and their size makes
it difficult for the assistant to look around the modifier to see where
the light is hitting the subject. Another downside to pop-up reflec-
tors is that if you are working without an assistant, you will need to buy a spe-
cial arm for your light stand so that you can mount the modifier.
California Sunbounce’s Pro model, on the other hand, is roughly 4x6 feet
in size and mimics natural window light when used properly. Their Mini is
like a medium-sized Chimera softbox, 3x4 feet in size. Again, the larger the
light source, even with reflectors, the sweeter the light is to your subject. Also,THE CALIFORNIA SUNBOUNCE WAY 117California Sunbounce’s Pro
model mimics natural window
light when used properly.