Photography News Issue 37

Photography News | Issue 37 | absolutephoto.com

Technique 40

Lighting academy Soft sell Start your journey into the exciting world of creative lighting effects with PN’s Lighting Academy. This month, we find out why you need softboxes and how using them in simple and effective ways can easily enhance the style of your portraits...

Words & pictures by Kingsley Singleton

Softboxes are prettymuch themost commonly used flash modifier by enthusiasts, and with good reason. Firstly,many enthusiast flashkits comewith softboxes as part of the package; you might get two softboxes included, or perhaps a softbox and an umbrella, and these are all you need to get great effects like the classic butterfly and clamshell described opposite. Secondly, thanks to the growing popularity of studio and location lighting with flash, they’re cheaper and easier to use than ever before. But what is a softbox and why would you use one? As a diffuser of light, when you add a softbox to your flash you’ll immediately get a much softer look to that provided by a naked bulb and this is useful in a variety of ways. Diffusing the light makes it less intense, reducing contrast and softening shadows; and softer shadows and lower contrast generally creates more flattering portraits where imperfections are less visible. The effect of a softbox is similar to most umbrellas, but softer and more directable due to the shape of the modifier and the way it channels the light through a diffuser, rather than spreading it more widely like a brolly. Therefore the spill of light is easier to control and more precise styles can be created. The shape of softboxes, assuming they’re the traditional square or rectangular kind, also makes them perfect for replicating window light, especially in terms of the

catchlight produced in the subject’s eye. There are lots of size and shape options out there besides, including more rounded designs, like octaboxes, which can be collapsed and transported more easily and are versions that mix the design of an umbrella and a softbox. It’s not only the shape of the softbox that changes the look of the light, but also the size, position, inner colour and the level of diffusion. Many softboxes feature a choice of one or two removable diffusing panels, so the level of diffusion can be increased (or removed entirely). The inner colour, usually white or silver, can vary the strength of the look and the neutrality of colour; silver inners produce a slightly more contrasty look. The last consideration is the size of the softbox relative to the subject; the larger it is in relation to the subject, the softer the light will be. For this reason, it can be a good idea to base the size of box you choose on the size of the subject you’re shooting. So, for a head and shoulders portrait you would need a smaller softbox than a full-length shot, where, to get the same level of softness, you would need a much larger one (or two softboxes aligned as one). The other thing to bear in mind about larger softboxes is that they take more power to fill, and won’t throw the light as far.

Simple softbox

Next month: More creative ways to use your softboxes with grids and feathering effects.

OCTA SOFTBOX

Top You don’t need a whole lot of kit to start shooting better portraits. A couple of flash heads, softboxes, and a reflector can give great results, especially combined with a plain background, for which you can use a wall at home. Above Placing a softbox on your flash will immediately soften the light compared to the naked bulb for a more attractive look. Thanks to... Our model this month was Emma Davis and we shot at ShutterBox Photography in Stamford (contact Lyndsay Ford at shutterboxphotography.co.uk).

LONG SOFTBOX

SQUARE SOFTBOX