Sometimes, the simplest tools can have the biggest impact. In the world of photography, the unassuming V-flat is a prime example. But what exactly is a V-flat, and how can it elevate your photos?
As most photographers know, light is what makes an image. Bad light ruins an image. But good light creates the mood, the feeling, sets the subject, emphasizes what’s important, and basically makes your entire image. As photographers, it’s our role to work with the light.
Part of working with it is to understand how to manipulate it. We are rarely presented with perfect light, we often have to make it. Mastering the tools that manipulate the light is what is going to make your image.
One of those tools is the humble v-flat.
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What is a V-flat
A V-flat is a large, lightweight panel, typically made of foam core. It’s typically large, at least the height of a person, and wide. It opens up like a book, or a V, hence the name.
It’s is a tool to manipulate the light. It can serve two roles: to add light, or subtract light. The magic lies in its two sides: one is white, while the other is black. This duality allows the V-flat to play multiple roles in your lighting setup.
V-Flat Examples
The v-flat is seen to the left of this image.
Why Use a V-Flat?
The white side of a V-flat excels at reflecting light. Positioned strategically, it can bounce light from your main source (like a studio strobe) onto your subject. This reflected light fills in shadows and creates a softer, more flattering look. It’s perfect for portrait photography or situations where harsh shadows are undesirable.
I use the white side a lot when I do product photography. The goal in those kinds of shoots is brightness and showing the details of the product, so the white side is perfect for reflecting the light and creating a solid white environment.
Need to block unwanted light from spilling onto your scene? The black side of the V-flat comes to the rescue. Since it’s blocking the ambient light sources and not allowing any spillover light to reflect on your subject, it’s basically “taking light away.” By controlling the spread of light, you can achieve more dramatic lighting effects.
V-flats aren’t just for light control. The black and white surfaces can also be used as convenient backdrops. The white side provides a clean, minimalist background, while the black side offers a more dramatic and moody feel.
Can You Build a V-flat?
Absolutely! It’s super easy. Below are the instructions for building your own v-flat. The only complaint I have about this particular DIY is that I wish it was a little bit bigger, but it’s still worked for me for a long time.
Plus the price is certainly right!
Supplies Needed
Poster Board – I recommend this board, as it’s very sturdy and I’ve literally used it for years. It’s exactly what you need: non-reflective paper, strong paper board with a foam core.
Graffer Tape – This is non-reflective tape that can pull off of things very easily. Getting both white and black is a good idea, as there’s a white side and a black side to the poster board. Other than for v-flats, this tape is just super useful to have in your photography kit. It photographs clean since it’s non-reflective, so you can easily use it to hold things in place in shots, and you can also use it to make emergency repairs on gear. It’s saved my lighting multiple times.
Assembly
There’s only a few steps involved in putting this together.
- Remove the poster board from the box. Keep the box, it’s useful for storing your new v-flats.
- Lay the poster board on the floor, vertical orientation, side by side, matching either black or white. Use the same color tape to tape the two pieces together.
- Repeat with a second set of boards. You should now have a total of two sets of two boards taped together.
- Position one taped set above the other set, tape it together.
- You have yourselves a v-flat.
Now you can use your v-flat for all sorts of projects! Woohoo!
If you’re using your v-flat in studio, just leave it put together. If you’re going to be moving it around (which I do), pull the grafter’s tape off between the stacked v-flat pieces, and now you can fold and store. Next time you pull it out, just reattach the two pieces with more grafter’s tape. The tape is so gentle that it comes off pretty easy, but do be careful because it can tear your v-flat.
(Mine is a bit torn up from continually placing and removing grafter’s tape, but it’s still useable because the tape repairs the v-flat, too!)
That’s literally it, you now have a super versatile and powerful photography tool. Experiment with it, test out both sides, put people close to it, and far away from it. Use it as a backdrop or bounce light off it. Test out everything you can think of. Once you understand it’s capabilities, you’ll be further on your journey of creating incredible images.