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Choosing the right umbrella is a matter of
personal preference. Some criteria to keep
in mind when choosing your umbrella
include the type, size, and portability. You
also want to consider how it works with
your Speedlight. For example, regular and
convertible umbrellas return more light to
the subject when bounced, which can be
advantageous because a Speedlight has less
power than a studio strobe. And, the less
energy the Speedlight has to output, the
more battery power you save. On the other
hand, shoot-through umbrellas lose more
light through the back when bouncing, but
are generally more affordable than convert-
ible umbrellas.
Using a Softbox
Softboxes, as with umbrellas, are used to
diffuse and soften the light of a strobe to
create a more pleasing light source.
Softboxes range in size from small 6-inch
boxes that you mount directly onto the flash
head to large boxes that usually mount
directly to a studio strobe. Softboxes come
in a variety of shapes, too —anywhere from
a small, square shaped softbox to very large,
octagonal softbox designed to simulate
umbrellas.
Flash-mount softboxes
The small flash-mounted softboxes are very
economical and easy to use. You just attach
it directly to the flash head and use it with
your flash mounted on the camera or on a
flash bracket. This type of softbox is good to
use while photographing an event, informal
portraits, wedding candids, or just plain old
snapshots of your friends and family. You
generally lose about one stop of light with
these and should adjust your flash exposure
compensation accordingly. For shooting
small still life subjects or simple portraits,
this may be all you need to get started with
your wireless/portable studio.
Stand-mounted softboxes
When photographing in a studio type of set-
ting you really need a larger softbox that is
mounted, along with your Speedlight, onto a
suitable light stand. For a larger softbox, you
need a sturdier stand to prevent the lighting
setup from tipping over. Bogen/Manfrotto,
manufacturers of high quality stands and
tripods, have a basic six foot stand that
works well for this application.
The reason that you may want to invest in a
softbox rather than an umbrella for your
portable studio is that softboxes provide a
more consistent and controllable light than
umbrellas do. Softboxes are closed around
the light source thereby eliminating
unwanted light from being bounced back
on to your subject. The diffusion material
gives less of a chance of creating hotspots
on your subject. A hotspot is an overly bright
spot on your subject usually caused by
bright or uneven lighting.
Softboxes are generally made for use with
larger studio strobes. They attach to these
strobes with a device called a speedring.
Speedrings are specific to the type of lights
to which they are meant to attach. Luckily
for photographers, some companies, such
as Chimera, manufacture a type of
speedring that mounts directly to the light
stand and allows you to attach one or more
Speedlights to the light stand as well. You
mount the speedring to the stand, attach
the softbox to the speedring, attach the
Speedlight with the flash head pointed into
the softbox, and you’re ready to go.
90 Part II ✦ Creating Great Photos with the Creative Lighting System
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