# Homemade Reflectors



## pandrew (Aug 14, 2010)

I honestly used some huge sheets of white foamboard and industrial foil and they work like a charm. I'm not going to post any pictures but would anybody like to tell me why I should upgrade to "real" reflectors?


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## Phranquey (Aug 14, 2010)

pandrew said:


> I honestly used some huge sheets of white foamboard and industrial foil and they work like a charm. I'm not going to post any pictures but would anybody like to tell me why I should upgrade to "real" reflectors?


 
White-board works great, and is a staple in many studios.  The only reason I have a "real" reflector is because it's foldable & far more convenient for travel.


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## ababysean (Aug 14, 2010)

Someone told me if  you are going to shoot professional you need professional looking equipment.   That sold me right there!  Go to Amazon.  They have them for 8 dollars... You can still bring your homemade one if you feel it works better but at least this way you appear more professional and then you can make a joke about how you bought this, but you like to use your homemade better.....


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## clanthar (Aug 14, 2010)

ababysean's point is critical.

Given the careers of these two individuals:

A is 40% show and 60% substance.
B is 60% show and 40% substance.

B comes out on top in the long run. This doesn't work if you're a research physicist, but it holds true in most other fields. I spent the last 27 years in higher education (Art/Humanities) and you can change those numbers to 20/80% and B still wins.

If you want paying customers you have to look the part. Otherwise, if you want a great reflector in the studio head straight for the home supply shop and get a sheet of styrofoam.

Joe


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## PerfectlyFlawed (Aug 14, 2010)

ababysean said:


> Someone told me if  you are going to shoot professional you need professional looking equipment. ....


:thumbup: i agree


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## KmH (Aug 14, 2010)

If you want your photos to look professional, you have to use professional techniques.

Frequently, DIY tools simply cannot provide professional looking results.


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## Corvphotography (Aug 14, 2010)

i say if money is tight, use what you can man.  props to ya.


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## gsgary (Aug 14, 2010)

ababysean said:


> Someone told me if  you are going to shoot professional you need professional looking equipment.   That sold me right there!  Go to Amazon.  They have them for 8 dollars... You can still bring your homemade one if you feel it works better but at least this way you appear more professional and then you can make a joke about how you bought this, but you like to use your homemade better.....




All pro studios use foam board


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## Corvphotography (Aug 14, 2010)

ababysean said:


> Someone told me if  you are going to shoot professional you need professional looking equipment.   That sold me right there!  Go to Amazon.  They have them for 8 dollars... You can still bring your homemade one if you feel it works better but at least this way you appear more professional and then you can make a joke about how you bought this, but you like to use your homemade better.....




I totally just bought this off amazon. lol


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## Flash Harry (Aug 14, 2010)

KmH said:


> If you want your photos to look professional, you have to use professional techniques.
> 
> Frequently, DIY tools simply cannot provide professional looking results.



Professional techniques, if you understand lighting, angles of incidence, colour/specular reflectance etc, it matters little how you achieve it, as GS states poly or foam boards are widely used here. 

I also know another tog gets great results using twenty dollar halogen lighting from a builders merchants rather than pay out for less powerful but vastly more expensive continuous lights from photographic suppliers.

Some of the garbage on here with regards to lighting really gets my back up, set ups of studio lighting in the park, all the off camera crap its a wonder any of you lot over there ever take a photograph. The old saying "if the cap fits", has its place in photography as well as elsewhere, foamboard is as good as it gets. H


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## gsgary (Aug 14, 2010)

Flash Harry said:


> KmH said:
> 
> 
> > If you want your photos to look professional, you have to use professional techniques.
> ...



:thumbup: +1 a pro will use what ever is at hand to get the shot, I was shooting an equestian event and got my monopod stolen so i used my partners shoulder to support my big white lens, a shoot  i helped on they have used clothes pegs because they had run out of clips to pin back clothing that is a touch too big


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## ababysean (Aug 14, 2010)

I agree with everyone that you have to know pro tech to get pro photos. But Joe and Mary on the street are going to be more impressed with Billy who has nice looking reflector and lighting then Ted who has a sheet of foam board...  It sucks but it is just the way it is.
I say use what you know how to use, but have that 8 dollar reflector for show.


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## eccs19 (Aug 14, 2010)

Corvphotography said:


> ababysean said:
> 
> 
> > Someone told me if  you are going to shoot professional you need professional looking equipment.   That sold me right there!  Go to Amazon.  They have them for 8 dollars... You can still bring your homemade one if you feel it works better but at least this way you appear more professional and then you can make a joke about how you bought this, but you like to use your homemade better.....
> ...



Boy, do we ever get ripped off in Canada.  The Amazon Canada site has the same set, but it's $25.  I wonder if I can get the US site to ship to Canada.


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## Josh66 (Aug 14, 2010)

KmH said:


> If you want your photos to look professional, you have to use professional techniques.
> 
> Frequently, DIY tools simply cannot provide professional looking results.


I have to say, I completely disagree with this...

Often, DIY tools are _better_.  The main thing working against them is that they usually don't look as nice as the 'pro' version (just aesthetics - not talking about how good it may or may not work), and that they will need repaired/replaced sooner.

'Pro' tools are built to last, and to look good.  DIY tools are just built to work.  Yes, you could build a DIY tool that also looked good and lasted a long time, it's just that most people don't.  It's all in how much effort you put into it.  One DIY reflector might look great, while another could look like crap...
I mean, if you think about it - it shouldn't be too hard to make a DIY reflector that was indistinguishable from a store bought one.  All you need is the material and a sewing machine.

To say that you can't get professional looking results without buying professional tools is a little ridiculous to me.

That's akin to saying that you need a 'professional' camera to get good photos...  And I think we all know the general thought on that topic...


Keith, I generally respect your opinion, and consider you a good member of this community - but sometimes, I just don't get you...  I mean, how many threads have you replied to saying that the camera doesn't matter - it's the skill of the photographer that really counts...?  And then you post this crap saying that to get professional results, you have to have professional tools...


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## Derrel (Aug 14, 2010)

Some home-made or DIY tools can be quite good, without a doubt. Some DIY tools are clearly inferior to factory-made products where proven industrial design and or specific materials or specific engineering capabilities are critical to a first-rate result.

Not too long ago, there was a story about photographer "appearance" and price structures..."looking the part" really carries a lot of weight in certain segments. In other segments, the photography is all done behind the scenes.

"Professional" photos are often quite uniform, cookie-cutter, and, well, un-original, and not avant garde. A lot of professional photos are done with factory-made, mass-produced equipment that is pretty much "standardized" for the era the work is done in.


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## white (Aug 14, 2010)

KmH said:


> If you want your photos to look professional, you have to use professional techniques.
> 
> Frequently, DIY tools simply cannot provide professional looking results.


Although it is unclear what professional photos look like, unless you mean photography which includes a sleek watermark (useless) and fad techniques (like color desaturation).

I am more inclined to believe that, at the end of the day, portfolio is all that matters, and if you have hundreds of photos of newborns and couples in cliche poses and zero creative ideas, no amount of professional gear will help you.

Having a professional look can also be intimidating to some people.

<shrug> Some people think they can only do good work with the best equipment, the best light, the best models. Those people are tools.


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## squee (Aug 14, 2010)

My first reflector was a X-Acto fold out display board (y'know those tri-fold boards we used for presentations in high school) covered in aluminum foil. It worked but oh was it embarrassing. I bought a professional to save my pride.


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## Flash Harry (Aug 15, 2010)

eccs19 said:


> Corvphotography said:
> 
> 
> > ababysean said:
> ...



Well you definitely won't get a reflector that cost £4 over here, a roll of aluminum foil cost me half that last week, a small reflector, last time I looked was £30, and its a long time since I looked. H


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## c.cloudwalker (Aug 15, 2010)

KmH said:


> Frequently, DIY tools simply cannot provide professional looking results.



:thumbdown:  Sorry but I have to disagree. That is absolutely not true.

There is a huge difference between looking professional and having gear that does. You can have all the most expensive pro gear you want but if you act like an amateur, you will be perceived as an amateur. And then, you can have put-together-at-home gear and no one will question it because you act like a pro.

The main/only difference between pro/home made gear is the look of the finish but that is easy to overcome by acting pro. Most customers have no understanding of photography and, so, they have no understanding of the gear.

Make your home made gear look good and no one will question it.


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## Josh66 (Aug 15, 2010)

c.cloudwalker said:


> The main/only difference between pro/home made gear is the look of the finish but that is easy to overcome by acting pro.  _[...]_
> Make your home made gear look good and no one will question it.



If you look at most of the accessories you can buy, they don't look very hard to make.

A flash diffuser, yeah - that would probably be a little tricky for most people (to make one that looked just like the pro ones).  Some 'pro' flash accessories are nothing more than some Velcro and a few scraps of fabric though...

Something like a reflector though, it's mostly fabric...  The hard part would be finding the materials, and that probably wouldn't actually be that hard.

If you were willing to put the effort in, you could easily make something better than anything you could buy, for half the cost.  You could tailor it to your needs too.


DIY doesn't have to equal low quality.


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