Curious about the black side of your photographic reflector? While the white, silver, gold and translucent surfaces have proven their value, most reflector kits also include a black reverse side. If its purpose was not immediately clear, you are not alone. Many photographers overlook the black flag because the other reflector surfaces seem to do everything they need.
Yet this seemingly unimportant surface can be a powerful tool: it can block light from selected parts of a subject, prevent overexposure, add contrast and even serve as a “negative” reflector. It is worth experimenting with when shaping light and contrast in your photography.
What is a black flag?
Although it may seem to belong to a different category from reflectors and diffusers, a black flag controls light just as they do. Diffusers soften light, reflectors bounce it and flags remove or block it. If you do not have a reflector kit , you can use a sheet of black card or foam as a flag.
As with any reflector, diffuser or similar tool, you will either need someone to hold the flag or some stands and clamps to support and position it before taking the photograph.
When do you use the black flag?
• A black flag can increase contrast in an image. This is useful on a cloudy day, when the light is very flat and can make a scene look almost two-dimensional. It can also help when you want to create a high-contrast studio image.
• If you are photographing a small object and want to de-emphasize the background, you can place the black flag in front of the light source and move it until the shadows fall into the background. This is a way to reduce the light in the background without having to underexpose the shot, which would affect the subject itself as much as the background.
• Also, a black flag can help separate subject and background and create a more dramatic and three-dimensional look in a photo.
You may need to combine a reflector with the black flag. If the background becomes so dark that the edge of your subject starts to merge into it, use a reflector to create a rim of light on that side and separate the subject from the background.
• A black flag can also be used as a kind of sunshade. If you're dealing with a light that's shining toward the camera in a way that could cause flare, you can place a black flag between the light and your camera so that the light still hits the subject where you want it to, but is directed away from the lens so that it doesn't create unwanted flare.
Use a black flag with your flash
You can also use a makeshift black flag to shape the light from your flash. A piece of soft black foam wrapped around the lower part of the flash can keep its light from reaching the subject from an unwanted direction and prevent stray light from disturbing people nearby.
This can help to improve your photos, but it can also ensure that you, as a photographer with a flash, are less disruptive to the people around you at an event, for example.
Wrap the soft black foam around the lower part and sides of the flash. Although it is neither white nor silver, it can still shape bounced light. The resulting light will be softer and less intrusive than direct flash or a hard bounce from a white ceiling or wall.
Position the flash so that it is aimed above people's heads, and you will get a soft light with beautiful highlights and shadows.
Using a black flag on a cloudy day
On a sunny day you can use a black flag to block out a little bit of light, while at the same time letting the light bounce back in with the white reflector, but on a cloudy day you can place the black flag on the opposite side of your subject from the sunny side, or where the sun would be if it weren't behind those clouds.
The black flag must be close enough to block the light coming from that side. This will help bring back that third dimension that is so often missing in images taken on flat, cloudy days.
If you're unsure of the effectiveness of these techniques, always take two test shots, one with and one without the modifier, so you can see exactly what happens to your subject when you add the black flag.
Conclusion
Think of a black flag as a portable shadow. Use it whenever you want to add dimension to an image or reduce light from a particular source.
Create compelling, three-dimensional-looking photos by positioning the black flag to darken the background or add shadows where it would otherwise have been difficult to achieve.
Remember that when using a black flag, you may also need a reflector because some situations call for adding light to one part of the subject while removing it from another. A black flag can produce excellent results once you understand how to position and use it.
