Umbrella orinetation

[Bill S]

With a white umbrella (both sides) is there a way to tell if it is meant to be shot through or reflected off of?

[flyfishnj]

you could use it either way

[Bill S]

I there a benefit to using it one way or another?

[SkipD]

Using it as a shoot-through MIGHT give you softer light, but is guaranteed to spill one heck of a lot of the light behind the umbrella. That spilled light will bounce all around your studio and back to the subject in ways that might be objectionable. Let's say, for example, that the walls behind the camera are red. You'd have a lot of reddish light bouncing back at your subject.

I would obtain or make black covers to go over the outside of the umbrella (the ones I have come that way - with removable covers). Using the umbrellas in a bounce (reflecting the light off the inside of the umbrella and then towards your subject) mode and having an opaque cover on the back will minimize the spilled light. It will also put MORE light on the subject for a given power setting at the light.