Hi all- I am interested in honing my outdoor, natural light B&W portraits. I recently saw a tape about the use of scrim/diffusers and reflected natural light (w/ plexiglass mirrors) by a guy named Dean Collins...I was fascinated!! He was able to create such wonderful soft light in the middle of a bright sunny day! Has anyone had experince w/ this type of outdoor lighting? Has anyone constructed, from scratch, these types of diffusing scrims?? I'm not interested in sinking a lot of money into Phototek/Bogen, etc, at this point. I kinda just want to give it a try by building frames of pvc and, maybe taffeta material??? Any thoughts on this subject would be most appreciated. Thanks! Deb

-- Debra Rozin (philndebra@aol.com), July 19, 1999

Answers

I don't have a ton of outdoor portraiture experience, but I have done weddings, bridals, and announcement portraits. Mostly in color but some in Black and white, bandw is my fav. Anyway, when I have done midday shoots I bring along a piece of white poster board to get rid of shadows and such...some obvious tips are don't face your subject directly to the sun, nor your camera for that matter, the results are less than pleasant, position at an angle and use your "light" or reflector to fill out the shadows. For beginning though I would shoot mostly in the morning or slightly overcast days...the shadows are softer then...other than that, try a few things and see what works.

-- Jessica Hubert (jhubert@waterford.org), July 19, 1999.

I'll have to agree with Jessica, there is so much that can be done with just a simple reflector. I use a fold up kind with changeable cover and it's great. Another thing what works well is to have the subject in the shade a tree with the Sun at a 45 degree angle. Fill flash works, but the reflector is a more natural look. Don't avoid cloudy days. The world is a softbox then... can work well.

-- chuck k (kleesattel@webtv.com), July 20, 1999.

I like to get the light behind them, then use fill-flash. Done right, such photos look like they were shot in a studio.

-- Ed Buffaloe (edbuffaloe@earthlink.net), July 20, 1999.

I want to thank those who have responded to my question, but I want to clarify the point. I have already worked in shade w/ reflectors. I am particularly interested in the technique I described originally in this thread. I want to use just existing light (no flash), but be able to exert a certain amount of control and am interested in comments specific to this issue. Thanks again. Deb

-- Debra Rozin (philndebra@aol.com), July 20, 1999.

((scratching my head)) I'm not sure what you are looking for.

If you are asking specifically how to make a reflector like the one Collins uses, it is really not too dificult. Decide what diminsions you would like the final product to be. Purchase 1/2 or 3/4 inch PVC at your local hardware store along with four 90 degree Elbows. PVC cuts very easily with a hacksaw. Lightly sand the cut ends and assemble the 90 degree Elbows. DO NOT GLUE. This is your frame...very similiar to what you saw on the video but with no shock cord or side hinges to make it collapsable. I would use a white nylon material rather than taffeta. It will probably cost less and it will be less opaque. You can use it to reflect light or to transmit light. The material in the video has a wide strip of elastic across each corner to attach it to the frame or you could sew in tunnels to run your PVC through. Velcro might be another possibility.

As for technique, you hit the nail on the head. You want to excercise "a certain amount of control". This is where Collins excels. He has a video entitled "Three Diminsional Contrast" that DOES NOT talk about B&W environmental portraiture but DOES study the relationship between light and subject. The principles learned can be applied to any type of photography. Once you have the end in mind, you can better figure out how to get there.

-- Rick Stiles (rstiles@ghg.net), July 20, 1999.

hola from spain! read yr post with interest as i have been shooting envirnomental portraits for years before it was a "fad". in sharp constrast with what Dean Collins does, I use NO filters, NO reflectors (as least rarely), NO flashes and and other equipment or assistants except for the camera (of course!). I usually shoot against the light (much to the annoyance of specators) but as I process & print my own B&W film, I can correct for the contrast created. I JUST recently sold my manual cameras and purchased a autofocus/built-in flash camera; while this camera enables me to get a shot off quickly, i still miss the accuracy of the manual focus and its capabilities, vice the abilities of the newer autofocus cameras. oh yeah, I usually shoot in program, though i almost ALWAYS shoot in aperature mode. Good luck with yr photography and don't get impresed/bogged down by the gadgets and equipment. it's the person who holds the camera that creates and MAKES the camera, NOT the camera and associated equipment! other disagreeing comments welcome...

http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/5718/

-- Tony Lee (fototaker@usa.net), August 17, 1999.

Debra, by controlling the environment around your subject with diffusers and reflective materials, you can exercise considerable control over the light on your subject, as you've noticed. I encourage you to build yourself a basic frame for a diffuser and experiment with different fabrics. You're essentially trying to turn the diffuser into a broad light source, just like you're doing when you bounce a flash from an unbrella, except you're lighting the broad surface from behind. Shadows soften, and the contrast (range of light levels) on your subject is less.

Myself, I would find a soft wood such as pine. Maybe a 1/2 " square would be ok for smaller diffusers, and an inch square for larger ones. You will preferably hold it all together with wood screws - remember to pre-drill for them. I don't mind using a glue at the ends if you can't make a joint, but then fit triangle corner pieces cut from thin plywood to stabalize each corner joint. I recommend Gorilla glue, if you can find it. Alternatively and ideally you could use small dowels instead of screws or plain glueing by drilling the proper size hole for the dowel then covering it with glue before inserting - it's like a wood nail. Whatever method you use, think about how you're going to position the diffuser - on two light poles, an assistant, or what. You can buy accessory pieces that will allow you to angle your diffuser and mount it between supports. Go for it, and good luck.

-- August Depner (apdepner@uswest.net), August 29, 1999.