Three Ways to Use a Magnum Reflector Hard Light Modifier 

In this video I’m going to introduce you to the Magnum reflector light modifier and how I use it to create hard light portrait and fashion images.
A Magnum reflector creates bright and crisp illumination on your subject and I find that it’s a great choice if you want to highlight features or create the look of sunlight in the studio.
The brand of Magnum reflector I use is from Profoto and I really like this one because you can zoom the reflector to control the overall focus of light.
You might ask, what’s the difference between using a silver beauty dish for example versus this type of reflector?
For one, a beauty dish bounces the light back into the reflector before discharging it, thus creating a bit of diffusion in the spread. The Magnum reflector has no such “double bounce” - it just throws as much light out from the bare bulb as possible, and because it’s such a concentrated beam of light, it creates really bright results.
Comparative to other modifiers, the Magnum reflector may have up to 1 stop brighter light.
Just like other hard light modifiers, the Magnum reflector also has accessories, such as a sock (aka diffusion) and a grid to help with the spread and quality of light.
When to use:
While objectively there is not “right” or “wrong” way to use a modifier, I’m going to outline a few instances where I’d use the Magnum.
👉️ To create a sunlight look
As discussed above, the magnum reflector is great for throwing out focused hard light, so it’s really ideal for emulating natural or sun kissed light.
👉️ Emphasizing features
The quality of light that this reflector produces is great for carving out and emphasizing features because it has more defined shadow edges.
If the intention of my shoot is to have more defined results in the subject’s face for example, I’ll reach for this light modifier to create more drama - which is especially useful for fashion and beauty.
👉️ Vintage style
Many of the vintage style photographs (think old Hollywood) use hard and very defined light. To achieve this vintage portrait style I use some diffusion with the reflector to create defined but somewhat softened light. This creates porcelain skin effect that comes out really nice when converted to black and white.
While a Magnum reflector may be less common than a softbox or beauty dish, it can still be a great addition to your kit and a great way to play around with hard light.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this video, please give it a like and leave a comment below if you’ve shot with hard light. I’d love to hear about your experience! 👍️
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Gear used in this video 📸
Profoto Magnum Reflector: adorama.rfvk.net/mvmbO
Profoto Silver Reflector - adorama.rfvk.net/g7DKg
Profit Zoom Reflector - adorama.rfvk.net/JAqEq
Profoto 10 Degree Grid - adorama.rfvk.net/zv9Yx
Profoto D1 - adorama.rfvk.net/azKqR
Profoto D2 - adorama.rfvk.net/qvB7y
Canon 5d iv - adorama.rfvk.net/3aJnn
Canon 24-105mm lens - adorama.rfvk.net/KG0ne
Savage Seamless Paper - Blue Jay - adorama.rfvk.net/qq67Y
Savage Seamless Paper - Fashion Grey - adorama.rfvk.net/9ZeX3
I'd like to thank Adorama for partnering with me to bring you this video.
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