When it comes to lighting effects for photography, only your imagination is the limit. In this video, Derrick Freske will show you five tricks that require nothing but your smartphone flashlight as the light source. They’re simple and cheap, but they can give many creative effects to your images.
1. Disco ball
I believe we’re all familiar with the effect a disco ball creates. It looks fun on the dance floor – and you can add that same look to your images. Get yourself a small disco ball, point your phone’s flashlight into it, and shoot away. And don’t forget to play some disco music.
2. Reflective scrapbook paper
I love shiny and glittery stuff, and of course, I bought myself a few sheets of glittery scrapbook paper. I use it as a background for photographing small items, but it also makes interesting lighting effects when you point a flashlight into it as you can see in Derrick’s video. There’s something similar I use this way – a shiny cosmetic purse. Here are some examples of the photos I made using only the purse and my smartphone’s flashlight, and you can read the article and see more photos here.
3. Sequin fabric
Hit your nearest fabric store and buy some sequin fabric to reflect the light off of it. Or if you’re into shiny stuff like I am, maybe you already have a few clothing items with sequins in your closet, so you can just use those.
4. Lace fabric
Lace creates interesting patterns when you shine the light through it. So while you’re at the fabric store, pick up some lace, too.
5. Prism
I don’t know what prisms are generally for, but I know many photographers who use them. I experimented a bit with it as well, and I love the effect. But other than holding it in front of your lens for the trippy effect (like I did here), you can also shine the light through it and get some cool lighting in your photos.
Do you have any fun lighting tricks to suggest? And do you use any of these in your photos? [5 Creative Photography Tricks Using ONLY Phone Light via FStoppers]
