First Flash Mod?

Hi all, So i have been shooting for a few years and very seldomly use flash, i have been looking at doing some night portraits and portraits in general, and was thinking it might be an idea to get a light stand and use an umbrella of some sort? i have a reflector sheet (round pop up thingy 5-in-1 diffuser) but no one to hold it for me while out shooting.

many start with a convertible umbrella http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …JjTqcLpxMgCFdgK​gQod1BsOWA

but since you seem to be planning outdoor shoots, you might want a softbox. https://www.cheetahsta​nd.com/Cheetah-QBox-24-Pro-p/q24.htm

Outside shots are better with a softbox because it is less likely to catch the wind and tumble over. I like the above softbox because it has a lip and grid included, folds up to a small bag and also comes with a bracket.

There are a ton of different stands out there, i like these for their portability http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …7486_Reverse_St​and_7.html

but I also have Matthews C Stands and a couple of old 10 stands i got for 20 bucks each on craigslist.

Night shots mean you don't have much ambient to use as fill. This means whatever shadows you get will be deep and more apparent. For that reason I would consider getting a convertible umbrella. A softbox is easier to work with outside but the increased size of the umbrella will pay off over the small softbox.

urbanfreestyle wrote in post #17746236
Hi all, So i have been shooting for a few years and very seldomly use flash, i have been looking at doing some night portraits and portraits in general, and was thinking it might be an idea to get a light stand and use an umbrella of some sort? i have a reflector sheet (round pop up thingy 5-in-1 diffuser) but no one to hold it for me while out shooting.

Heya,

I do it at night often and sunset or lower light times of the day with speedlites. I do full sun days with my strobe and overpower sun, but I often enjoy a simple light speedlite setup more just because it's so much easier to setup and faster to setup. I would use a simple 43" umbrella or 24"~30" softbox. You can get them for very cheap. I like light stands with boom arms so I can put the light over the subject if I wish, even when working solo (I'm always solo).

Softboxes control spill better and can produce softer light (at very close distance) with good wrap around.
Umbrellas are more versatile (bounce, shoot through, etc) and can be lighter weight and more portable.
I use both.

I have some examples:

24" x 24" softbox with speedlite on a generic stand. Super cheap. But great lighting.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/raEM​mZ

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/sdew​LC

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/t7DZ​as

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/zuf9​Yh

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/uc9a​FP

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/tUo5​r3

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/uhLy​6N

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/tUud​ze

Seen your shots before and love them! Not a bad setup and cheap too! I think I'll go for the umbrella fist to have the most flexibility and then look at softboxes

Mal did your daylight umbrella shot use your big light (?rovelight IIRC) or was it just a speedlight at full power?

travisvwright wrote in post #17747662
Mal did your daylight umbrella shot use your big light (?rovelight IIRC) or was it just a speedlight at full power?

Speedlite at full power at very close distance. ND filter on lens (4 stops total of ND) to drop ambient light more.

It was not high noon though. It was in the later afternoon, a wee bit less bright. It can't over power the sun, but it can smooth out the light and give good fill.

Very best,

MalVeauX wrote in post #17748706
Speedlite at full power at very close distance. ND filter on lens (4 stops total of ND) to drop ambient light more.

It was not high noon though. It was in the later afternoon, a wee bit less bright. It can't over power the sun, but it can smooth out the light and give good fill.

Very best,

Mal,

Which speedlight bracket and softbox are these (again)?

Thx

mpstan wrote in post #17749951
Mal,

Which speedlight bracket and softbox are these (again)?

Thx

Here's everything you would need for it, for $35.

Neewer used to have just the softbox for $30. But everyone seems to replace the stock mount with an s-bracket mount (with bowen's insert in case you want to do something different too). So maybe they decided to switch it up and include the s-bracket now, for $5 more. Great deal for a modifier setup.

Very best,

Thanks for the link, I'll have a hunt to find a UK alternative

urbanfreestyle wrote in post #17750047
Thanks for the link, I'll have a hunt to find a UK alternative

From eBay or Amazon, you'll find it Godox or Neewer branded and cheap as chips too.

In fact you might find a gridded one if you look hard, adding a grid to mine was a DIY affair and cost nearly as much as the softbox.