Lighting with Umbrellas

I am playing around with a couple of strobes and umbrellas. The more I shoot the more I feel like a umbrella is only good to soften a strobe. Of course I can go up and down with the amount of light but the strobe through a umbrella seems to throw it everywhere so I cannot really control the concentration of light on my subject. Am I wrong?

A lot depends on the space You are working in. The light you get with a shoot through is not that much different than from a softbox. The difference is the spill control. Softboxes can often be gridded and have better defined edge falloff.

mdaddyrabbit wrote in post #16768813
I am playing around with a couple of strobes and umbrellas. The more I shoot the more I feel like a umbrella is only good to soften a strobe. Of course I can go up and down with the amount of light but the strobe through a umbrella seems to throw it everywhere so I cannot really control the concentration of light on my subject. Am I wrong?

Whether light is bounced off the inside or aimed through the fabric, umbrellas are used to diffuse light over large areas. This is how umbrellas always have worked and is one of the rudiments of lighting. Those who need exact and precise control of where light goes need to choose a different light modifer and illumination strategy.

You have discovered nothing new.

DC Fan wrote in post #16768921
Whether light is bounced off the inside or aimed through the fabric, umbrellas are used to diffuse light over large areas. This is how umbrellas always have worked and is one of the rudiments of lighting. Those who need exact and precise control of where light goes need to choose a different light modifer and illumination strategy.

You have discovered nothing new.

I didn't say I discovered anything new for anyone but me. I am new to strobes and all I have to work with right now is umbrellas. Sorry if I mislead you.

Dear MDADDYRABBIT,

Like so much of this photography stuff (cameras, lenses, bags, lighting, etc) it is often a tradeoff & situation/application dependent.
Your experience and lots of internet/you tube on this subject - this video in only one of many, may help shed some light on umbrella behavior for you (pun intended) on this fundamental but important topic:
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=h0bFax2ZCIY (11:56 minute video)

Good luck with your new-to-you strobes. (Congratulations - Photogenic such an established name and seems like a brand with good value-for-money equation).

Mary

happy2010 wrote in post #16769033
Dear MDADDYRABBIT,

Like so much of this photography stuff (cameras, lenses, bags, lighting, etc) it is often a tradeoff & situation/application dependent.
Your experience and lots of internet/you tube on this subject - this video in only one of thousands, may help shed some light on umbrella behavior for you (pun intended) on a fundamental topic:
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=h0bFax2ZCIY (11:56 minute video)

Good luck with your new-to-you strobes. (Congratulations - Photogenic such an established name and seems like a brand with good value-for-money equation).

Mary

Thank you your help and link. I want some soft boxes but I have to purchase things as I get the money. Lucked up with these strobes. I am really excited to have what I got but umbrellas for me are hard to control. Also, experience is not on my side yet.

Tried with different positions along the shaft yet?

Take a look at this pic: http://www.flickr.com …71540785@N02/10​635465985/. Upon first sight I thought the bloke had used a softbox, given the strong directional light and dim background, but no, he used a brolly.

Umbrellas are simple only in appearance, you can do lots of interesting things with them.