I want to buy a reflector to play around with, I don't have a studio so I would be using it to bounce natural light off or my flash off of. Can you suggest what colors are the best to get and what size?
I have one that's white on one side and gold on the other. It's nice to have the versatility. The gold side is what I use most, for outdoor portraits, and whatnot.
I bought this one. It has five different colors, is very large and is a great price. I have not used it much but I don't think you can go wrong with it.
Kim, for outdoor use you don't want anything TOOO big because it will get difficult to control on breezy/windy days. Gold/Silver ones are the most popular - silver for reflecting cool light that looks more like flash and gold for reflecting warm light that look more like sunlight. I would suggest finding one no larger than 4' tall for ease of use out & about.
The Impact reflector has served me well for about two years, but now anytime I use it I end up covered with gold sparkles. I'm hesitant to part with it, though, since the "soft gold" side is spectacular.
I picked up the Adorama reflector since I was finding the Impact to be a bit big to use outside in windy conditions. I haven't experimented much yet, but it seems to be the right size for headshots and I am loving the smaller size when it comes to transporting my gear to shoots.
Both feature a translucent core which has been invaluable when shooting outside (and also when I was shooting a 17 day old baby indoors with natural light. We had to screen the light since her eyes were still very sensitive.)
My first set of "reflectors," which I used for the better part of two years, was something like this. They worked pretty well when I was starting out and only cost $6 for two at WalMart.
I looking at updating a couple of reflectors and will probably go with what I have seen described as soft white. Basically it's a mixture of silver and white.... so it's softer than straight silver but brighter than plain white. I have a couple that are gold and silver mix, but I'm finding I really don't like the gold with digital.
I just discovered (while others have know for awhile) you can use those car dash board reflectors. They are only $10 and you get 2. Check out my thread.
To keep the reflector stand from blowing away, I carry two solutions.
1. For soft ground I use stakes.
2. For sand and hard ground I use tube socks. Gather two zip locks of sand. Put them into a long sock. Tie both ends and the middle. Now you have a sling-weight that you can wrap around the legs. The more of these the better.
Also, some stands have a hanger in the middle to which you can attach weight.
---------------------------------
Go for one of the many-in-one reflectors. It is also nice to have a translucent.
You want one that is at least the size of what you want to light, if not bigger.
It also helps to have assistant(s)
Generally speaking yes, but a little fall off in fill light isn't going to be too noticeable if it's smaller, especially if the fill is centered around the subject's face. That rule of thumb is more important for key light than fill. A 48" reflector is plenty big for full body and 24" more than enough for head&shoulders.
The 24" would be MUCH better than nothing, if you needed some fill on a full body.
And yes, it does help to have assistants. Kids, friends... it's not a hard job. :-)
