Photography Reflectors & Accessories

Reflectors & Accessories

Reflectors are commonly used pieces of photographic equipment that help you shape the artificial light in any scene. Whether you use reflectors and accessories in the studio or in the field, they can help improve the look of your images and give you additional control.

What are reflectors and accessories?

While reflectors can also refer to large, light-reflecting panels and scrims, a light reflector is a solid metal dish that surrounds a light bulb to bounce and focus the bulb’s light. Reflectors can mount to any type of studio strobe, but some of the most common options are Bowens Mount and Flashpoint Mount varieties.

Most light reflectors are painted black on the outside to reduce the likelihood that you’ll have stray sources of bouncing light. The inside is silver in color for maximum light reflectivity.

The shape of reflectors also varies to create a variety of light beam sizes. A beauty-dish style reflector creates a larger source of light than a narrow reflector dish.

Regardless of which type of reflector you select, you can make your reflector more functional with the use of accessories like honeycombs, grids, barn doors, and snoots.

Honeycombs and grids

When you want to have more control over the shape of the light created by strobes, honeycombs and grids are the ideal accessories. Most honeycombs and grids snap into the front of the reflector dish and feature a square or multi-sided grid system through which the light will pass.

Light that passes through a honeycomb or grid often has a vignette effect, so these are excellent lighting accessories for illuminating backdrops. You can create a soft-edged light that will frame the subject nicely.

Honeycombs and grids are available with different pattern densities known as “degrees” for a softer or more extreme vignette. 

Barn doors and snoots

Barn doors create hard edges for a light’s beam while snoots focus the light down to reduce the size of the beam. You can use both for a variety of photographic subjects and you can use them in conjunction with many other types of lighting accessories.

Top brands for reflectors and accessories

When you’re looking for high-quality reflectors and accessories that will stand up to regular use and perform well over time, consider top brands like ARRI, Flashpoint, Elinchrom, Glow, Mole-Richardson, and Photogenic.

As you shop these and other leading brands, Adorama makes it easy to check compatibility with your current gear, read user reviews, and dig into detailed product specifications.