Reflector for wedding

I am photographing a wedding in a couple of weeks time and am considering buying a reflector for some portrait shots. I have seen some cheap "Ex-Pro" 5-in-1 reflectors on Amazon (£18 for a 32") that get good reviews, the Interfit 5-in-1 looks OK also (£27 from Warehouse Express or £40 from jessops!) and Lastolite seem very expensive.

Can anyone advise on:
a) The size you feel is best for wedding photos - I need it big enought to reflect to a big enough area (not sure what big enough will be yet)and still be portable and handlable (thinking if it is windy). 32" seems a good compromise, but I did start by wondering whether I shuld just get a little 12"
b) The make you have used and any feelings, positive or negative, about them.
c) They type - I am looking at 5-in-1 reflectors as I figure I could use them for a variety of things, but I am assuming for the wedding I will want to use the white or possible the silver (for higher contract B&W) panels.

Really appreciate it!

Stuart

32" 5 in 1is a good choice. Lastolite are much heavier duty especially their cases but you probably don't need that build quality. I have some Lastolites and some cheap ones and the cheap ones are just fine.

You will need an assistant.

Having no experience with reflectors, I would just say that practice seems to be the key word here. I wouldn't dare to take on a wedding photography before mastering the reflector technique.

I have seen how good effect reflectors can have to lighten shadows, but never tried it myself. I would like to try it out, though.

What I do know is that the larger the reflector, the softer the light, like flash diffusors/umbrellas. And that you will need an assistant to hold the reflector.

But first and foremost, practice, practice, practice.

I can't really help with wedding photography specifically, but more generally :

12" reflector will only be big enough to light a single face. This could easily look very unnatural in a group-shot, but might work for (say) a duo. If you want to lift the body you'll need something in the 36" region or bigger. Also, the further away your reflector (to get it out of shot), the bigger it needs to be. There's the reason we use lots 8x4' poly sheets and 16x16' (or bigger) bounce cloths in film - to fight the sun at long range is hard work and not for the amateur!

Coloured reflectors are very situational and really are just for beauty shots, although can help with coloured skin (e.g. gold on black in bright sunshine). For general use just go for white/silver combination (silver is brighter but less diffused).

And - the most important point - don't go too far off-axis from your key light (i.e. the sun), otherwise it looks horribly false, particularly in a group shot. This really does need practice and setting-up.

Lastolites are the best, you get what you pay for in terms of ruggedness and life, but obviously if only used occasionally a cheap clone will do (although I think they only copy the smaller sizes).


Your best tip to get some diffused lighting would be to pray for a cloudy day... (no, really!)

I use a ten foot by ten foot white tent (collapsable umbrella design).

I should have said in my original posting, i am only looking to use the reflector for a couple of portrait shots at the reception venue. My brief is for a reportage style with a handful of formal shots - I agree with Gareth much of it is going to be too fast paced to set up shots with an assistant and a reflector (particularly as I suspect we may be pushed for time at the church).

So the reflector is for limited 'couple' photos only - I probably should have said that as that will influence your suggestion on reflector size.

Thanks for the comments and advice so far.

"I am only looking to use the reflector for a couple of portrait shots at the reception venue" - the rest is reportage and group so you are right, not very many photos, hence reluctant to spend a fortune

Maybe you could use a flash as fill-in?

Thanks for all your suggestions - its been very helpful