Half the battle in studio shots is getting the light where you want it.

Do you really want to buy a speedlight for every surface you need to illuminate?

‘course not.

Well, if you have a stationary store in your neighborhood, the solution is right down the street….

Metal bookends!

These come in a few different sizes and are robust enough to stand on their own, making them easy to position off-camera to add fill-light to a table-top shoot.

They’re also much smaller than a photo-reflector making it easy to get into spaces where a reflector (or reflector and stand) would be difficult to place if not impossible.

Simply take some white paper (I use bristol-board because it’s stiffer than bond-paper) and cut it to the desired size, then take a small magnet to hold the paper-reflector to the metal bookend.

Here’s 2 full (8 1/2 x 11) sheets of bristol-board that is taped around the perimeter leaving a pocket that can be slipped over the bookend.

Here’s one of the larger bookends holding up a full-sheet of black foamcore, held in place with a magnet. This can be used to absorb light, or as a black background.

Simple, cheap and reuseable!

Neat.