Two heads, two boxes...and then...?

OK...So, I have the D-Lite 4 kit with the two softboxes (65cm x 65cm) and (53cm x 53 cm) as well as three gridspots, and am primarily interested in portraiture...I'm curious as to what other gizmos I might want to acquire (following Tax Day) to expand my horizons...beauty dish? Umbrella? I like the softboxes but they seem rather small...any more than two people and I seem to have a difficult time with properly lighting my subjects.

Of course, that could simply be because I am an amateur! Nonetheless, I am not clear on: 1. What the practical differences are between beauty dishes and umbrellas and 2. whether a larger softbox might be a better investment at this stage...i.e. does it make sense to have THREE softboxes and no other equipment apart from three gridspots??

Those are pretty tiny soft boxes, mine are about double to triple that length, and 4-6 times the surface area. Beauty dishes provide less diffuse light AFAIK.

dish all the way, they are so much fun to use, get an umbrella while you are at it though, silver ftw, not expensive either.

tim wrote in post #7680636
Those are pretty tiny soft boxes, mine are about double to triple that length, and 4-6 times the surface area. Beauty dishes provide less diffuse light AFAIK.

TIM: Is that the same as saying harder/harsher light?

Thanks!

neliconcept wrote in post #7681705
dish all the way, they are so much fun to use, get an umbrella while you are at it though, silver ftw, not expensive either.

If you had to choose only one, given that you already had two small softboxes, which would you choose and why???

Freddie Alessio wrote in post #7684312
TIM: Is that the same as saying harder/harsher light

Soft light is created by a large light source with some diffusion material.