My Best Photography Purchase

You desperately want to up your photography game, but have little to no money to invest in new equipment. You want a tool that is easy to learn and you can take anywhere without it being a hassle. You want to instantly improve your photography, but don’t know where to start. I’ve been there my friend!

That is why I want to share with you my BEST PHOTOGRAPHY PURCHASE EVER.

Ready for it?! It’s the simple and drastically underrated….REFLECTOR! No matter what location, what subject and almost any time of day, I will be using my reflector. It’s main purpose is to bounce light back into your subject so the shadows are not as harsh. As soon as I started using the reflector, I noticed a HUGE difference in my photographs.

The best part of it being, I purchased mine for less than $50! In the photography world that’s a steal. I love the 5-in-1 50in Reflector by Westcott. It’s lightweight and portable. It comes with 5 different colors; silver, gold, diffuser (to allow some light in if its a harsh day), black (to completely block out light) and my absolute favorite, white. So needless to say you get a ton of use out of this thing and it’s durable! I have had mine now for 4 years and still works like a charm. You can purchase one for yourself just on Amazon, that’s where I purchased mine.

I love the reflector especially for backlit portraits like you see here. The sun is behind her and the reflector is resting against my legs with the white side showing, bouncing light back into her face while I’m photographing her.

It can also give your subjects the appearance of “catch lights” in their eyes if there are none available. Catch lights are very important for giving your subjects “life.”

I also love how I can use the reflector as a fan to blow fake wind in my subjects hair or block harsh sunlight as well. I prefer the bigger reflector because of how much light I get bounced back into my subjects, but remember to think about what’s best for you and your situation! Hands down the reflector is the best photography purchase I’ve ever made. I would love to hear your opinion on the best photography purchase YOU have ever made in the comments below!