reflectors are a way to remove unwanted shadows from your subject’s face. there are several colors and types of reflectors that highlight your subject in different ways. the photo below is a photo with no reflectors.

this photo below is using a gold reflector. it highligts the yellow and warms a persons face. unfortunately, the lighting was not very good, and my gold reflector on her face resembles campfire light.

this photo below shows my subject with a white reflector. it has the same affect as snow, or any other pure white substance against light. notice how it pales her face, and also lessens the intensity of the shadow?

the photo below is my subject with a silver reflector. this adds more volume to her hair, eyes, and features as well as gets rid of unwanted shadows.

reflectors are a good way to add light for some people. i personally do not like them, and would rather take a picture of my subject facing the sun instead of going through the hassle of reflectors. the two not mentioned in this post were the black reflector, which adds a shadow, and is good if your subject is standing next to a white object, and a diffuser, which, when your subject is in harsh light, will diffuse the light and make it seem more natural.