flash vs reflector

[tikaldogos]

i do 98% of all my photos outside. bang for the buck which would help my photos more using flashes or using reflectors?

i have also added some photos from my last shoot to show you the results i normally get..my post usually consist of adding fill light, add black and crop

[WarrenG]

While the reflectors can be a good tool for harnessing available light, speedlights will certainly provide you with far more versatility than the reflectors alone.

If it were me, I would invest in some speedlights, and then you can always pick up a reflector, or make your own with white foam core, and aluminum foil attached to the opposite side with 3M adhesive to give you more intensity if needed. I am just pointing out some options...

[Snarfy]

I was taught that a foldable disc reflector should be one of the first accessories any photographer buys, and never sells. Mine goes with me quite often. For $20-50, you can have a second light source (in conjuncture with the sun) on any outdoor daytime photo. The reflector can then double as a second light source during an indoor studio-lit shoot by using the studio/strobe lights. They can be used as fill lights, rim lights, kicker lights, light removal/scrim, etc.

IMO, anyone learning light should first learn to do it with a reflector. Get to intuitively understand soft reflection, hard reflection, warm reflection, scrimmed light, and black-side light removal, and then get a flash and learn how it does the same things (and then some).

[Bob_S]

My only challenge with reflectors is getting it where you want it. Maybe I need a better assistant. :) MY most recent shoot I tried only using a speedlight in a 16" box. Love it! It was certainly easier since my assistant had to just generally aim the flash instead of having to more precisely hold the reflector and deal with wind. That was just for one senior shoot though and I still had the reflectors with me just in case. My vote as of Thursday will be flash and hopefully one you can adjust from the camera.

[Snarfy]

The challenge of precision placement is exactly the reason they should come first.

[Tommy Scarmardo]

I use both, sometimes together.

Bang for the buck....reflectors, till it gets to dark, then there's no replacement for "added light".

[carrbowl]

I use a flash for one simple reason...I don't have an assistant!! : ) It is easier to set up a light on a stand for fill light, than to try to get a reflector to stay in place...especially since there is always a breeze of some sorts...

[DigMe]

Well to answer the question out of sheer bang-for-buck it would have to be reflector since one can be had for $18 shipped from Amazon. However, for overall usefulness I would say flash since it can do more for your photos on overcast days and in dark situations. A reflector can't create morning sunlight on your subject on cloudy day. A gelled flash can. I love my flashes and modifiers (16" softbox, Lumiquest LTP softbox, Opteka Speedgrid and umbrellas) and use them way more than my reflector.

brad