Small softbox shots, 24" and under? please post

I realize that shots taken with tools that are not common will take a good while to filter in, but that's fine, it will be interesting to look at these after a few months of them trickling in.

I just ordered a 20x20 inch softbox and it should be here today. I purchased one thinking it would be better moved around in tight quarters and easier to take on the road. I would love to see what others have done with small softboxes, 24 inch (no side over 24 inch) and under. Would love to see some used with grids and such, maneuvered around the subject from a variety of angles. i will post some of my own when I get mine and get a chance to play.

Amazingly, as soon as i finished this post, i searched for "small Softbox' and found this article on Google. This guy mentions some of the very things I was thinking when I purchased my 20x20.

http://neilvn.com …n-intimate-photo-session/

By the way, i even want to see the small boxes that attach to the front of flashes directly, anything smaller than 24 inch, even down to the tiny ones.
now back to that article.

after reading that article and seeing the pics, i just went to Ebay and ordered a 23cm by 23cm softbox to go on my speedlight.

someone mentioned that you can get a clamp and just clamp your speedlight with one of these on it, and now I am thinking this could get really creative if you had two or three flashed with these on them with clamps. you could go in to a room with shelves and chairs and have all kinds of fun clamping lights around the room and lighting a subject.

I imagine maybe having a subject sit on the floor, legs stretched, maybe a clamp light on a book shelf, maybe one on a charir for the legs, another on a table for hair, seems like you could have some real creative stuff going on with three of these with clamps, and maybe some gels too.

23cm is 9"

search for the Cheetah 24" softbox thread. Lots of examples there.

windpig wrote in post #15334899
23cm is 9"

Cool, just under half the size of the 20 inch i ordered, i should be able to have some fun with the both of them.

flowrider wrote in post #15334915
search for the Cheetah 24" softbox thread. Lots of examples there.

Thanks flowrider, I'll check that thread out.

How are you going to get "soft" quality of light with a 24" softbox? What are you shooting action figures?
A head shot I can see with it just out of frame. If you want soft light GO BIG!

I don't always want soft light. I like the quality of beauty dish light sometimes, and I do most head and shoulders. I loved the shots in the link to that article I posted. I have a couple 43 inch shoot through umbrellas that give nice sof light when I want that. with these smaller sofboxes I would like to kind of hard light a little more than with the 43 inch brellas.

ElliotD wrote in post #15335137
How are you going to get "soft" quality of light with a 24" softbox? What are you shooting action figures?
A head shot I can see with it just out of frame. If you want soft light GO BIG!

bobbyz wrote in post #15338371
Ideally I would want large softbox for full body.

Lots of ambient fill/reflector or fill flash can make the light softer looking.
Same shot with only the little softbox will have harsh shadows.
The shadow on her neck is a good example.
Nice shot BTW

I was not aware the OP was not looking for a soft light source when I replied.

I am not going to use only 24" in dark studio to light full body. But folks get too hung up softness thing also. Usually ones starting out.

bobbyz wrote in post #15339755
I am not going to use only 24" in dark studio to light full body. But folks get too hung up softness thing also. Usually ones starting out.

I was only commenting that would show how harsh the shadows that small box is actually producing.
I think the ones starting out have a hard time figuring out how to get a soft highlight to shadow transition. They buy these small modifiers branded softbox then scratch their heads. Then they finally figure its the apparent size of the light source in relation to the subject that gives the soft pleasing light. Anyone with a bare speed light can produce high contrast images.

Moving even a small one in closer will make the light softer. i am currently in to these small softboxes because of the beauty dish type hardness. they don't have the nice fall off of the beauty dishes, but the light tone is similar. Here's another quick vid using a couple of these little things, i love them because they give the more specular fashion brightness to the face, and for very cheap. Check these shots out in this vid. Then when you consider how easy and light they are to carry around and mount up to mix with ambiend light, they are a nice option to have.

http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=3i2BrTBVN9s

ElliotD wrote in post #15339833
I was only commenting that would show how harsh the shadows that small box is actually producing.
I think the ones starting out have a hard time figuring out how to get a soft highlight to shadow transition. They buy these small modifiers branded softbox then scratch their heads. Then they finally figure its the apparent size of the light source in relation to the subject that gives the soft pleasing light. Anyone with a bare speed light can produce high contrast images.

guitarjeff wrote in post #15340555
Moving even a small one in closer will make the light softer.

Of course, but you can only move the main light in so far until its in the shot.

Check these shots out in this vid. Then when you consider how easy and light they are to carry around and mount up to mix with ambiend light, they are a nice option to have.
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=3i2BrTBVN9s

I didn't find that lighting in the video attractive at all.
Bobbyz's image looks much better IMO