Round vs. Oval Reflectors

[agresbach]

I am looking to pick up one of the 5 in 1 reflectors but am torn between the round and oval shape. I was hoping I could gather some opinions or info on what the benefits to using one over the other might be. main things i'm looking to get out of it are obviously the flexibility on manipulating light like a reflector will do and i've heard they can be helpful at getting some good catchlights for portraits. the catchlights specifically i wasnt sure if the shape of the reflector might influence how well that works.

Also, i'm torn on what the best size for me would be. i know this is a preference thing too but i'm mainly looking to use it for portrait type shots. i was looking somewhere between the 32-42" size. any opinions would be much appreciated! initially i was looking at this one:
Amazon.com: Westcott 301 Photo Basics 40-Inch 5-in-1 Reflector: Camera & Photo

thank you for the help!

[agresbach]

ok i ended up ordering a 24x36" oval one on ebay ....couldnt find any opinions either way so i rolled the dice!

[ttosifa]

Originally Posted by agresbach

ok i ended up ordering a 24x36" oval one on ebay ....couldnt find any opinions either way so i rolled the dice!

You can convert your oval one to a round one by appropriately covering part of the reflector with black fabric -- use black gaffers tape for securing the fabric. You can convert square or rectangular softboxes to circular ones with the same logic if you like round catchlights.

[agresbach]

Originally Posted by ttosifa

You can convert your oval one to a round one by appropriately covering part of the reflector with black fabric -- use black gaffers tape for securing the fabric. You can convert square or rectangular softboxes to circular ones with the same logic if you like round catchlights.

thanks for the tips! apparently this one is said to be able to fold to be both round and oval (not sure how it will pull that off but any tips are appreciated! )
hopefully the size works out ok. are round ones that much more popular?? seemed to be not as many oval ones out there

[ttosifa]

I actually use only rectangular reflectors -- diffusion/reflector panels, foamcore, or large PVC panels (leftovers from a construction product). If I wanted round or oval, I would just pull out some black fabric and convert them.

I don't know how much difference it would make for a 24x36 reflector, but at least for the larger ones (I often use 3.5'x7'), you can influence the quality of light by whether you place the long side vertically or horizontally. If vertical, the light will be softer top to bottom and harder left to right; if horizontal, the opposite. In a headshot, for instance, you might place it so that the reflector extends from about the subject's shoulder to (in some cases) the camera. For a full length, you can put it vertical for more even top-to-bottom lighting, or horizontal when you want the face area to be lighter than the waist-to-foot area.

[agresbach]

Originally Posted by ttosifa

I actually use only rectangular reflectors -- diffusion/reflector panels, foamcore, or large PVC panels (leftovers from a construction product). If I wanted round or oval, I would just pull out some black fabric and convert them.

I don't know how much difference it would make for a 24x36 reflector, but at least for the larger ones (I often use 3.5'x7'), you can influence the quality of light by whether you place the long side vertically or horizontally. If vertical, the light will be softer top to bottom and harder left to right; if horizontal, the opposite. In a headshot, for instance, you might place it so that the reflector extends from about the subject's shoulder to (in some cases) the camera. For a full length, you can put it vertical for more even top-to-bottom lighting, or horizontal when you want the face area to be lighter than the waist-to-foot area.

that makes a lot of sense! thank you for the tips! i considered getting a larger 40x60" one but since i'm still learning and it was only $25 i thought this should do for now. i'm actually doing my nieces senior photo's this weekend so it will be my first time using it (hopefully have a little practice time first! )
i thought oval would give better catchlights than round but that could just be a personal preference.