On-location photographers need to be both crafty and ready for any lighting situation. This means keeping a few small and inexpensive tricks up your sleeve to create the light you envision. You never know when one of these options might just save a session!
1. Black and White Craft Foam
I keep white and black sheets of craft foam in my camera bag at all times along with a hair tie. My favorite way to use foam is to cut the black foam to fit 3/4 of the way around my speedlight. I secure it with the hair band. The foam can shift around based on my needs. Usually, my goal is to direct the light flashing from the speedlight onto a good bounce surface. The foam prevents the light from spilling from the front and looking unnatural on the subject’s face and instead the majority of the light is what’s bouncing from the bounce surface. When done properly, the light mimics a window or larger light source. Alternatively, using the foam to completely wrap around the flash creates an inexpensive snoot and allows you complete control in directing the light and can help in advanced speedlight work and getting creative. The white foam is helpful to bounce the light a bit more as it doesn’t absorb the light as much as the black. For more information on using the foam, I highly recommend Neil van Niekerk’s Breakout, “Don’t Fear Your Flash”. Approximately $0.49 per sheet at craft stores
2. Poster Board Mounted on Foam Core Board
Essentially a rigid piece of poster board mounted on a foam core board, this serves multiple purposes. It’s an insanely cheap reflector and can be used out in a field, in a home to bounce light back onto your subject, or even to block light when too much is coming from overhead mid-day. Another way to use a foam board is as a bounce surface for your flash (usually held by an assistant) when a clean surface is unavailable. Approximately $2.99 at various stores
3. Index Cards
In a very tricky lighting situation, when my only option is using a hint of flash to illuminate my subject, but a bounce surface isn’t ideal, an index card can double as a bounce card. If you put this on the back side of your speedlight and shoot with the flash facing up, just a kiss of light will bounce back onto your subject softening the light slightly. Approximately $2.50 for a pack of 100
4. White Fabric Shower Curtain
Perhaps my favorite and most used product is a fabric shower curtain liner. Placing this over a window with hard light streaming through both softens the light and allows you to have more shooting options within a client’s or your own home. I have found this particularly helpful when shooting in rooms that are a must for a client, especially during newborn sessions in a baby’s nursery. Existing curtain rods can be useful for putting up the shower curtain or another option is 3M hooks that can be removed cleanly when you are finished shooting. The cheapest shower curtain isn’t always best as the vinyl shower curtains have a sheen to them that aren’t as useful as the fabric ones. Also, look for one that is thick enough to diffuse the light. Weighed ones help to keep the shower curtain flat and straight! $9.99
