1×6 Stripbox: You can always make it smaller by flagging the light at either ends.Here are some sizes that will be useful for your studio setups: Read also: Are Expensive Light Modifiers Worth It? Their modifiers are durable and worth it in the end. You can choose your own brand of the softbox, however, I will strongly recommend going with a quality brand such as Elinchrom, Broncolor, or Profoto. The distance between the two layers of diffusion is relatively unimportant, but if you fancy diffusing the light even further you can shoot the softbox through a scrim placed a meter or so from the softbox. The second diffuser further diffuses the light, which produces a much more even corner to corner illumination. This is unwanted, so a second layer is necessary. Often the difference between the center and side is 2-3 stops. However, with particularly large softboxes, this will still leave a hotspot in the middle. The role of the first diffuser is to take the direct specular rays and modify the angles at which they travel. This is achieved by taking the point light source and reflecting it inside the modifier first through the first and then the second diffuser. The principle behind every softbox is that it produces a light that hits the object from a wide family of angles. The way you mask your softbox is just a matter of imagination. In fact, you can make your own softbox masks by creating custom gobos or using flags. Some will block out the center, while others can be customized. There are also custom masks that exist for softboxes. Using a round mask will make the softbox smaller, and in order to achieve the same level of softness. Another way to control how light modifier reflections look, the round mask has its use in fashion and portrait photography.
A common use for a stripmask is on automotive photography when long but fine highlights are required.Ī round mask will, as the name suggests, make the softbox perfectly round. They make the edge finer and the light source smaller (in one dimension) This can be useful when trying to create fine reflections or horizontally hard but vertically soft light. Stripmasks are made primarily for stripboxes. Often it is advised to move the softbox closer to compensate for this. Since the grid limits that family of angles, the light becomes slightly harder. Soft light is defined as a light that hits the subject from a large family of angles which causes the shadow edges to be gradated. Softbox grids often are 50deg, meaning that they limit whatever light spread the softbox has (often 180deg) to a much finer one. An indirect parabolic softbox, on the other hand, is very useful but it won’t be discussed in this article.Ī softbox isn’t complete without accessories, here are some common ones that you can put on most softboxes: Grid However, a deep direct softbox is no different than an octabox. It has become quite popular nowadays to purchase deep softboxes because they give an unusual light.
For all intents and purposes, it gives off a very similar, albeit slightly rounder and wider, light as a similarly sized square softbox. A cautious photographer will be wary of using a long stripbox with a flat-end flash as there is a 1-3-stop difference between the center and edge of the modifier.Ī classic among softboxes, the octagonal softbox is preferred to the square one for the round catchlights in the eyes. For this, it will create a smooth gradated shadow edge on the longer side and a fine shadow edge on the other.Ī stripbox is often used for full-body shots as it covers the whole body on one hand while giving a lot of definition and contrast on the other. This is a softbox that is narrow on one end while extremely wide on the other. Nonetheless, if you’re using a 4×6 softbox to light a portrait that will be barely noticeable, this will be predominantly seen when using a smaller softbox on longer distances.Ī popular choice for lighting a background, this softbox will create a strip of light. A word of caution: this softbox will create softer shadow edges on the larger side while creating harder edges on the smaller side.
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