Build a Wall of Light

SOUNDS LIKE A PROJECT. Lengthy and time-consuming, involving contractors, blueprints, and a crew who promises they’ll get it done by, you know, next Tuesday. If not all that, then, at the very least, figure on a few assistants and some heavy lifting.

Not so. Building a wall of light is one of the simplest and most straightforward ways to light somebody. All you need is a white wall (or reasonably white wall), or a sheet of seamless paper, or a couple of sizable bits of foam core. Or, you can just use a portable light reflector, like a big TriGrip, depending on how loosely you define “wall.”

The thing about a wall is that the light that reflects off of it bears the same characteristics of the wall itself—big and smooth. And flat. If you’re looking for snap and shadows, wall light is probably not the way to go. But, if you want to drop a blanket of even-toned, wonderfully wrapping light on somebody, give it a try.