What’s the better fill light? Speedlight or Reflector?
When you add some fill in light to your lighting setup, does this extra light do exactly what you want it to do to your scene?
A fellow photographer just asked me why I never use reflectors as fill light in my lighting setups. Actually, I do use reflectors. I have two big collapsible multi purpose reflectors always with me. I am using them as gobos, or as diffusers and yes, sometimes even use them for adding fill light.
But it’s true that the majority of times I rather fill in some light with a fill flash than using a reflector for this purpose.
Why that? As a basic principle, like any craftsman, a photographer needs to choose right tool for the specific job. When my job is to add some light here or there in a given setup, then the right tool for me often is a speedlight with a shoot through umbrella. However sometimes the right tool for me is a reflector. And at other times it is a combination of both.
Here’s my suggestion for the time when you have to decide which route to go:
Case A
If you want excellent control over the brightness and the harshness of your fill light, then use a speedlight with a shoot through umbrella. You will be in perfect control of the quality of your fill and it will be much easier to manipulate the setting of your speed light than it is to fiddle around with a reflector.
Case B
In cases in which you don’t have enough space for setting up a speedlight or if for any reason you want to avoid to add speedlights to your setup, then use a reflector.
Case C
If you encounter a combination of of the above mentioned conditions, say your model is sitting at a table any you want fill from her left, where you can place a speedlight, but you also want fill from below, where there is no place for a speedlight, then mix the two approaches. Setup your speedlight to her left, and place a reflector on the table in front of her. Nothing wrong with that.
However, just for the fun of it, I suggest you experiment with both options from now on. Do it concurrently within the same shoot, even within the same scene. Start by setting up a speedlight and then shoot another frame for which you put a large reflector in front of the speedlight. Sooner or later you have a solid feeling for which light source or bouncer gives you which particular feel.
Now let me know in the comments whether you personally prefer to fill in with flashes or with reflectors. I wonder if the majority of you probably got preferences different from my ones.
Flash or reflector - in any case I wish you good light!
-- Michael
Photo:
Estrella and Emily for SmokingStrobes. The above photo was taken with a big reflector in front of the models to fill in shades. To position a speedlight with an umbrella over there would have been complicated. For details check the video tutorial of that photo shoot.
