Wesley Scoggins
Indy Mogul
Wesley's Weekly HOW TO: Cheap Bounce Board
So we've covered some lighting techniques, and how to assemble a cheap lighting kit in the past. But something that I haven't really talked about how to make (and that is actually really simple) is the basic bounce board. These are really easy to make, and can help really improve your lighting, especially outdoors. They are used to extenuate the lighting sources you already have, and to soften shadows, and as I mentioned they can be invaluable outdoors, helping to give you softer more even lighting when you're dealing with the sun as your primary lighting source. So for those of you looking for them, here is a way to make a bounce board for almost nothing.
I like Pizza boxes for this, because they are basically trash, and discarded by almost everyone, so it's easy to obtain a lot of them easily (and very cheaply) simply by asking around. Just by asking a few friends to give me their empty Pizza boxes, I was able to get a dozen boxes in a few weeks. They are also an ideal shape, since they are hinged in the center, not to mention having a very wide boxy shape. So cheap, easy to get, and a good shape, they make an ideal bounce board.
One drawback that always tends to annoy me is any crusty residue left over from the original contents of the box. The quickest way i've found to get rid of the residue, is to just throw it face down on some concrete, put a foot on top about it and rub it around. The weight of your body coupled with the abrasiveness of the concrete quickly removes any residue and gives you an ideal painting surface.
And all the residue is removed. Next...
I put on a layer of white acrylic paint as a primer, and to seal the rough texture.
I spray painted it a kind of golden bronze color. If you're going to spray paint it, make sure you get a highly reflective paint, it'll usually be designated by a chrome looking cap. You could also use a brush and acrylic paint, but spray painting is much faster.
On the otherside, I stretched a rectangle of aluminum foil approximately the length of the box, and put it in place with Metal repair tape. It is basically just aluminum foil with adhesive on one side, and blends in perfectly with the aluminum foil.
Finally, I ran a piece of twine on the middle segment here, and attached it to both sides with more metal tape. I do this, so I can easily hang the panel up on a wall or a stand, so I don't always need someone holding it.
LIGHTING TEST #1 - Single Fill Light
Here is what the lighting looks like with just a single work light pointed at the subject.
LIGHTING TEST #2 - Silver Reflector
Here is the silver side. It's very shiny so it is reflecting a lot of light. You can see how the shadow is softened a bit on the left side, and that there is now another smaller shadow on the right side.
LIGHTING TEST #3 - Gold Side
You can see how this one gives it a warmer more "orange" tint. With the shadow on the left side lightned less than the silver (since it's less shiny, thus throwing less light back), and the shadow on the right side almost invisible.
The different reflectors have different reflexive characteristics and this should definitely be taken into consideration when you're using them to light your subjects.
But there you go, a double sided reflector for almost nothing, hope it helps you with your next project!
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