I have one of those 5-in-1 reflectors. I'm taking some photos of flowers for class. I'm using the white to diffuse a flash and I wanted to use the gold as a makeshift backdrop, but since it's a cover, it's been folded and has very very deep fold wrinkles on it, which keep reflecting the light differently and are incredibly noticable. I feel like ironing it is a bad idea. Any suggestions on how to get the wrinkles out?
My guess... stretching it is probably your best bet. Perhaps wet it slightly first then stretch it to dry. Some large pieces of cardboard might help you to get the stretch you'll need.
(This is why I have never folded my reflectors).
How do you store your reflectors if you don't fold them? Mine came folded, not to mention twisted up to fit into that little bag!
I'll try some more stretching, thanks!
I use mine in the studio 90% of the time, so they stay hung on light stands (or an IV pole a friend gave me) - when I travel, I just leave them full-sized. I've never put any of them back into the bags they came in. lol.
Seriously though, one of my reflectors is of a material that is very wrinkled by nature (kinda like krinkled aluminum foil). It reflects a softer light which is very nice at times.
Well, you can use my anti-ironing technique: get a mister spray bottle and fill it with rubbing alcohol--mist the item even to the point of soaking a strong crease if need be. Takes the wrinkles outta shirts and such, and dries fast, too.
I'd test this on the edge of the gold reflector, since I don't know how the material would react. Misting it or just dampening it with water might work well, too.
Well, you can use my anti-ironing technique: get a mister spray bottle and fill it with rubbing alcohol--mist the item even to the point of soaking a strong crease if need be. Takes the wrinkles outta shirts and such, and dries fast, too.
I'd test this on the edge of the gold reflector, since I don't know how the material would react. Misting it or just dampening it with water might work well, too.
You know you can do that with a spray bottle with water and a little bit of liquid fabric softener. Just as effective and a lot less flamable. lol
Well, you can use my anti-ironing technique: get a mister spray bottle and fill it with rubbing alcohol--mist the item even to the point of soaking a strong crease if need be. Takes the wrinkles outta shirts and such, and dries fast, too.
I'd test this on the edge of the gold reflector, since I don't know how the material would react. Misting it or just dampening it with water might work well, too.
You know you can do that with a spray bottle with water and a little bit of liquid fabric softener. Just as effective and a lot less flamable. lol
Thanks for the quick responses guys. I'll try this. Non-flammable sounds good, especially with the way I shoot : )
Well, you can use my anti-ironing technique: get a mister spray bottle and fill it with rubbing alcohol--mist the item even to the point of soaking a strong crease if need be. Takes the wrinkles outta shirts and such, and dries fast, too.
I'd test this on the edge of the gold reflector, since I don't know how the material would react. Misting it or just dampening it with water might work well, too.
You know you can do that with a spray bottle with water and a little bit of liquid fabric softener. Just as effective and a lot less flamable. lol
LOL--well, I don't smoke! And I live in a humid place, so using water means it will never dry. When lived in Phx, water worked fine :-) Rubbing alchohol is a lot like "dry cleaning"--which uses liquid, too, just not water. Fast drying stuff that stinks, mostly, where the alcohol will dry fast, kill bacteria, etc. It is also the main component of carpet cleaners & spot removers.
But yea, don't toss a lit match on it. Or your cologne, perfume, or aftershave, for that matter ;-)
You might try stretching it out and playing the output from a portable hair-dryer over it.
I don't think I'd use alcohol or any other solvent without knowing what the fabric and coatings are made of -- disolving a hole in the middle would be a bad idea.
Isn't it supposed to be wrinkled to scatter the light? I wouldn't iron it. just move it back, use a shallow DOF to blur it out. Problem solved no wrinkles! Or Use Gaussian Blur in post.
Isn't it supposed to be wrinkled to scatter the light? I wouldn't iron it. just move it back, use a shallow DOF to blur it out. Problem solved no wrinkles! Or Use Gaussian Blur in post.
It's one of those shiny gold reflectors. It has very fine texture on it to scatter the light, but the "wrinkles" are definitely more "folds" made by the company that made the reflectors when the other covers were folded to be put in the bag.
I tried to blur them out. I was shooting (usually) f2.8, with the flower a foot away from the camera and the backdrop a foot behind that, but the fold was so intense that there was still a very distinct bright line, no matter how I moved the lights. I wish I could just blur them out! That'd be so much easier : )
Water and stretching overnight didn't work. I'm currently trying to squish the folds out with some big books. If this doesn't work, I might just have to *gasp* use real backdrops...or bed sheets, but they're not as pretty!
