I love talking about photography. I could honestly do it all day. I won't subject you to that, but I do love educating my clients on some of the technical aspects of the trade. If you've done a session with me, you've probably seen the big silver circle shaped contraption called a reflector. Some of you love it and some of you hate it! It can have a blinding effect on a person. People with blue eyes seem to be especially sensitive to the reflector's strong light. So why do we use it?! I'd like to show you once and for all why many photographers use these contraptions. I won't get too technical and put you all to sleep, I promise. A reflector is used to bounce light onto a subject in a photograph. In this case, we are using light from the sun. Sometimes direct sunlight is used. Other times, a small reflector can be placed right under the subject on a cloudy day to add some illumination to a face. Below, I have two pictures from one of my favorite family sessions. The first picture was taken without a reflector. There is light all around those two cuties, but their faces are dark. The light is cold and dull. We were in a beautiful meadow, basking in the late afternoon sun so I wanted to take advantage of that gorgeous light. The second shot was taken with the reflector bouncing light onto their adorable little faces. Can you see the difference? Their eyes light up and the entire photo has a warm glow to it. I absolutely love this shot. 

So! Next time you're with me for a photo shoot and I take out the reflector you'll know exactly the look I'm going for. It's just another trick of the trade to help you and your precious photographs look their best! <3