On the other hand, umbrellas tend to over-light scenes, spreading lots of light around. Because umbrellas are easy to use and relatively cheap, they are a good beginner’s light modifier. Umbrellas are a great choice if you want to light a large area with flat, even lighting. Now let’s take a look at the different light modifiers in much greater detail, starting with: The umbrellaĪn umbrella creates a quality of light that is soft, abundant, and very forgiving. Soft light gives ethereal, beautiful portraits, whereas hard light tends to be more intense, in-your-face, and dramatic. When picking a modifier, it’s also important to consider the mood you’re after. Harsh sunlight should be combined with hard modifiers, and cloudy light should be combined with soft modifiers. Note that, if you’re shooting outside or near windows, your choice of modifier should depend on the ambient light. They’ll perform just fine, and you’ll save yourself a lot of money.Īs a general rule of thumb, if you are after hard light, then opt for a gridspot, beauty dish, Fresnel light, or even a naked flash. When you’re learning to use modifiers, however, I recommend choosing cheap versions. So once you become an experienced studio photographer, it makes sense to invest in high-quality modifiers. This becomes important when you’re using them every single day. The main difference is that the cheaper versions won’t be as durable. A quick note about light modifier costsĮvery kind of light modifier will have a top-of-the-line version and a really cheap version. Therefore, for me, modifiers are absolutely essential. I like to control the light and only illuminate certain areas of my shot. There are, of course, many really cool uses for hard lighting, and some photographers can make it look brilliant.
Hence, it’s often a good idea to start with soft, carefully modified lighting. Nobody is ever going to tell you, “Wow, I love the way your hard lighting has captured and enhanced every single pore, line, and blemish on my skin. It softens the light, softens the shadows, and gives you a flattering end result. That’s why I rarely work without some sort of diffusion modifier. However, a naked flash produces hard light and harsh shadows, which I think look really unflattering. You can shoot with a subject and an unmodified flash. Technically, you can do portrait photography without modifiers. I’ll take you through all the most popular modifiers – and I’ll explain precisely what they do and why you might want to use them.īy the time you’re done, you’ll be a light modification expert! In this article, I’m going to share everything you need to know about modifiers. If soft box lights are used with "hot" light sources, the photographer must be sure the soft box is heat rated for the wattage of the light to which it is attached in order to avoid fire hazard.Light modifiers are a powerful way to shape or control light.Īnd with the right approach, you can use modifiers to achieve beautifully lit, gorgeous portraits. In some commercially available models the diffuser is removable to allow the light to be used alone as a floodlight or with an umbrella reflector.Ī soft box can be used with either flash or continuous light sources such as fluorescent lamps or "hot lights" such as quartz halogen bulbs or tungsten bulbs.
The sides and back of the box are lined with a bright surface - an aluminized fabric surface or an aluminum foil, to act as an efficient reflector. The best known form of reflective source is the umbrella light, where the light from the bulb is "bounced" off the inside of a metalized umbrella to create an indirect "soft" light.Ī soft box is an enclosure around a bulb comprising reflective side and back walls and a diffusing material at the front of the light. All the various soft light types create even and diffused light by transmitting light through some scattering material, or by reflecting light off a second surface to diffuse the light. Photograph of fruit with (top) and without (bottom) soft box lightingĪ soft box is a type of photographic lighting device, one of a number of photographic soft light devices.
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