Dedolight – Lightstream Reflectors

Lightstream Reflectors

Reflected Light

Reflected light has always played a key role in image creation—whether in cinematography, photography, or visual design. It offers a unique range of lighting qualities and moods that cannot be replicated through direct lighting alone.

Hard reflections create a distinct visual character. In many cases, they not only redirect light but also establish a virtual light source that appears to originate from a greater distance. Such reflections often produce polarized light, revealing new surface textures and subtle variations in tone.

Softer reflections, on the other hand, can disperse light across a broader area, offering smooth, natural transitions between highlights and shadows. The size of the reflective surface plays a major role here—smaller areas yield harder shadows, while larger surfaces result in gentler, more diffused illumination.

Reflective materials vary widely in reflectivity and color, each influencing the light’s character in its own way. For example, a shiny gold reflector can enhance skin tones with warmth, while wooden surfaces can add soft, natural hues.

When used alongside narrow-beam or parallel-beam light fixtures, reflective surfaces can carry intense light across long distances, redirecting or reshaping it with precision. The creative potential of this combination is immense—offering filmmakers and lighting designers an extensive toolkit to sculpt light, define mood, and craft visual depth.

#1 REFLECTOR

The #1 Lightstream reflector acts as you would expect a front-facing mirror to behave, but with a more homogenous result. You can redirect a beam or even split a beam into “secondary beams” to reach other Lightstream reflectors without losing beam integrity. This is why using an intense, parallel parent beam is essential for best performance.

#2 REFLECTOR

Lightstream #2 reflectors spread the incoming beam by 12° while maintaining over 95% of the total light transfer. This board can be used to pass a beam to another larger reflector, but it’s most commonly applied as a direct light source, delivering greater intensity and a narrower spot than traditional Fresnel focusing lights.

#3 REFLECTOR

Lightstream #3 reflectors spread the incoming beam by 50° while still transferring above 95% of the total light. The #3 board produces a softer light quality with wider coverage. The reflected beam follows the Inverse Square Law more closely in terms of exposure and intensity. Depending on the strength of the incoming beam and the distance to the subject, the resulting light can appear either hard or soft.

#4 REFLECTOR

Offering the gentlest and most diffused lighting results, the #4 reflector spreads the parent beam at an angle of 95°. The reflected light reaching the subject is approximately 5% less intense than light bounced from a #3 board. Like the #3 reflector, the #4 beam’s hardness or softness depends on the incoming light intensity and distance from the subject.