Renowned for getting the weather wrong, photographers have long been avid umbrella users… not so much because they’re rain shy, simply because they are hooked on playing with light.
Umbrellas provide an economical, quick and easy means for lighting a variety of subjects, especially popular for portraiture.
A range of umbrellas is available to photographers. A description of their capabilities follows.
A REFLECTIVE UMBRELLA will improve the quality of light from a flash or other light source by reflecting it, thereby softening harshness and shadowing.
An umbrella with a white interior provides soft light whereas those with a silver interior provide more pronounced highlights. Those with gold interiors added a warmer look to portraits.
The larger the reflective umbrella, the broader the light and the less contrasty and more natural looking the result.
REVERSIBLE UMBRELLAS are also available that operate, by means of a removable backing, as either reflective umbrellas or shoot-through umbrellas.
A SHOOT-THROUGH UMBRELLA produces a soft spread of light. Since the spread of light is wider, a shoot-through umbrella is ideal for shooting groups of four or more people.
The shoot-through umbrella typically gives you more power, better light quality and better background spill control than a reflective umbrella.
Where your shoot-through umbrella is between you and your subject, you’ll need to guard against flare coming into your lens.
Shoot-through umbrellas allow you to place the light source closer to the subject, whereas reflective umbrellas are useful for shooting subjects where the light source needs to be farther away.
In portraits, umbrellas produce round catch lights in the eyes.
Tips for Using Reflective Umbrellas
Light will spill around the edges if the light source is positioned too far from the umbrella, effectively reducing the light intensity. To avoid this, position the light source to outline the inside rim of the umbrella.
Angle your umbrella so your subject is at the center of the light area reflected from the umbrella. Use the umbrella shaft as a pointer to direct light on your subject exactly where you want it.
Knowing how to direct the light, you can then try more adventurous angles to “feather the light” from the umbrella. You can, for example, aim the umbrella shaft so that reflected light hits the top of the subject’s head, allowing soft shadows to give definition to the model’s facial features.
Setting the Main Light
You can give the appearance of a window light from above by setting a 30 degree downward tilt to light the model’s hair and cast soft shadows beneath the nose and chin.
On the other hand, you could raise the umbrella and angle it down at 45 degrees, or you can lower the umbrella and aim it at the model from the side. The point is that changes to lighting angles and distances yield dramatically different results, leading you to new perspectives that make lighting a challenging and rewarding experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
How high above your subject do you place the umbrella?
Well, there are no hard and fast rules, just guidelines. The way you light a subject is best driven by either your own vision or requirements particular to the subject.
How far away from the subject should the umbrella be placed?
To produce a soft light, an umbrella (or a softbox for that matter) should be placed at a distance from the subject approximately equal to its diameter. A reasonable maximum would be double the diameter.
You can use it farther away, thereby decreasing the size of the light source. The smaller illumination area produces more contrasty shadows. So the light gets harder with distance.
Placing the main light closer to the subject increases the “hot spots” — areas of brighter illumination from non-diffused light, usually seen at the tip of the model’s nose, right above the eyebrow, and on the cheek closest to the light.
The Umbrella as Fill Light
When using an umbrella as a “fill light”, placement is once more a matter of artistic taste. Tip: you can preview how your “fill” light will hit the model by momentarily turning the main light off; it is much easier to see the effects of one light at a time.
If you place your “fill umbrella” at the same distance from the model as the main, you’ll get a lighting ratio commonly known as 1 to 1 and very little shadowing. The farther away you move the “fill” from the model, the darker the shadows will be.
Placing the “fill” about 1.5 metres to one side of the model will give soft shadows along the nose and cheek.
Use Your Umbrella Wisely
Umbrellas positioned, do remember to take a variety of shots when shooting portraiture. Feel free to adjust umbrella angles, change the model’s poses, zoom in your camera’s lens, or move your tripod closer to focus more on your model’s face.
It’s a good idea to take a photo of your lighting set up. That way, when you need to repeat a specific look in the future, you’ll know exactly how to set the lights up. It will also allow you to set up the lights in advance, so your subject won’t be waiting on you. Instead, after a relatively quick fine tune of your lighting, you’ll be ready for your first shot with your model looking fresh as a daisy.
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