Natural Lighting Setup - Need Help!

[christian.covert]

I was just wandering if there was a difference between the cheap reflectors and the really expensive ones. Is it the fabric material? Also, what size reflector do you find most useful? Is 42 to 52 inches a good size for full body lighting?

 

[ghache]

I have the el cheapo 42 inch and the difference between that one and the expensive lastolite one doesnt worth the extra money imo.

construction is the same. the thickness of the material seems like its the same, reflection material look the same and produce the same amount of light.
the only difference is the zipper wich is a little more flimsy but nothing to worry about if your take care of your crap.

a 42 is not enough for full body. ive tried it and its all good good for half to 3/4 body of a 5.5 feet tall model

the 52 inch should be a bit better. However, i shot a couple times using a 42 inch and the result were pretty good to shoot 1 person.
you dont need more really.

for full body there is the 4 X 3 feet square reflector or larger but they are not cheap

 

[Big Mike]

There may be a difference in the reflective qualities of the material.
A big name photographic company has to rely on the quality and reputation of their gear...and they probably go to great lengths to ensure that their reflectors don't introduce any color cast that shouldn't be there.
Cheaper ones, may just be using the cheapest 'white' material that they can find. It's certainly possible that the material may not be all that color neutral.

Of course, if your work isn't dependent on very accurate colors, a cheap reflector can still do it's job of reflecting light very well.

 

[christian.covert]

Do you have any recommendations? Lastolite, Impact, Photoflex?

 

[kundalini]

The Lastolite products that I have are professional build and material quality. The thing I like about the TriGrip is the ease of handling in your left hand and still being able to shoot with your right. The round difussers/reflector are much more cumbersome IMO. I have the middle size, good for 3/4 and head shots.

 

[Big Mike]

What's your budget? The 'best' ones will probably be the most expensive ones...although there is likely some 'brand name' padding in the price as well.

I certainly can't afford the most expensive gear, so my philosophy is usually to avoid the most expensive stuff, but also avoid the cheapest stuff.

 

[Big Mike]

Also, what size reflector do you find most useful? Is 42 to 52 inches a good size for full body lighting?

Forgot to answer this.

The bigger the better, but then it comes down to convenience and practicality. A 10' x 30' reflector would be great...but that's not practical. A 6' circular or oval reflector is manageable, but you'll need an assistant (maybe two) to hold it...especially outside....not to mention that they only fold down to about 2.5 feet, which can still be plenty big to haul around on a shoot.

Reflectors are very handy, but some of my favorite lighting come from using diffusion panels. So if I were to get a reflector, I'd get one of those 5-in-1 models where you can take the cover off and have a diffusion panel as the base layer.

 

[KmH]

Rectangular reflectors perform better on people than the round reflectors do.

One of the big problems with only using available light and reflectors is you are so limited as to set ups.
Overhead light sources tend to cause 'racoon eye', and dappled light is a nightmare.

All light is 'natural' light, but comes in different flavors.

Sunlight has color temperature variations throughout the day. The color temperature is even different depending on the direction the camera is facing at any given time of day and time of year.

In other words, the sunlight available now is very different than the sunlight that will be available in 6 months because here in the northern hemisphere it is so much lower in the southern sky. In July, the Sun will be higher in the sky and it's also likely the amount of particulate matter in the air will be greater too (air quality).

By using strobed lighting (flash) all those variables are of little concern to the photographer, becuase the photographer has way much more control of the light.