Scrims.
While photographers often see scrims as an opaque or porous material used to
reduce light, usually in fractions of a stop or even a full stop, we can also use
scrims to take the edge off hard, directional light—like the direct sunlight
from a bright, sunny day. Clouds also act as natural scrims.
Scrims come in various sizes, and most professional photographers utilize
at least an 8x8-foot scrim. The best scrims, like those from California Sun-
bounce, are easily collapsible and built to withstand their natural enemy out-
doors, the wind. Plus, they attach more easily to the sturdy C-stands.
While most scrims are made of white or opaque fabric, black scrims can be
used to reduce the intensity of light as well. Black scrims tend to
look like finely woven nets of black thread and help tone down
harsh light. California Sunbounce offers a special scrim they call Le
Louche. This scrim is made of two black fine net layers—and pho-
tographers can use the device to simulate the lighting effect pro-
duced when photographing subjects in open shade under a tree.
You can even place fake or real tree leaves between the two mesh fabrics to cre-
ate shadows that suggest that your subject is posed underneath a tree.
California Sunbounce also manufactures a product they call the Sun Swatter
(some people call it an oversized fly swatter, or a scrim on a stick). This small
scrim on a pole is highly portable, rugged, and is great for location work. An-
other plus is that it can be held in one hand on an average day with low to
medium winds.
White and Black Cards.
White cards (reflectors) can be used to add light in a scene; they reflect 90 per-
cent of the light that strikes them. Black cards can be used to subtract light;
they absorb 90 percent of the light rays that strike them. These cards can help
us control and sculpt the light and shadows in our images to create the look
we seek.
One of the most difficult subjects for a wedding photographer to photo-
graph is the bride—not because she’s overwhelmed with wedding planning
and has to keep her future mother-in-law in check, but because she’s wearing
white! White reflects more light than skin does, and if we expose our image
for the subject’s skin, the white can become washed out. On a bridal dress, this
means a great loss of detail, which most brides will not like.
The easy solution for the wedding photographer is to make two V-shaped
black foamcore modifiers (this is done by using gaffer’s tape to secure two
panels together to form a hinge), and place one on either side of the bride.
86 LIGHTING FOR GLAMOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
Black scrims tend to look like
finely woven nets of black thread
and help tone down harsh light.