Welcome to my ultimate guide on softboxes and diffusion. Initially, this was going to be a guide about softboxes, but the truth is that if you are looking to diffuse light there are many other ways to do it without a softbox. So instead I’ve structured this article to start with the more affordable solutions and work my way up from there. Before we get started, let’s get some definitions out of the way. What I mean by light diffusion is a way to soften the light so that you don’t get any hard shadows. Essentially we’re trying to make the light bigger than it actually is so that when we bring that light closer to the subject the light is softened. The two images below show you the difference between diffused light and non-diffused light. See the difference in the shadows.
In this article, I’m going to show you the following ways to diffuse light.
- Household items – Sheets, baking paper, tracing paper, etc.
- Specialized diffusion material – LEE 216 diffusing film
- Umbrellas
- Softboxes
- Octaboxes
- Parabolic softboxes
HOUSEHOLD ITEMS AND DIY
By far the most cost-effective way to diffuse light is to bounce the light of another larger surface. If you have a flash mounted onto the hot-shoe of your camera, it simply means to shoot the light into a white wall near your subject or a white ceiling. When you do this you’re essentially illuminating a wall or ceiling which is much larger than the source of light from the flash. This light is then reflected off the wall and on the subject. This is a very common technique used by waiting photographers as there is no time to set up a softbox but still need to get the softest light possible. If you are going to be bouncing the flash of the ceiling make sure that you point your flash straight up and then behind you slightly so that the light doesn’t come straight down onto the subject. By doing so, you will light your subject from above and also slightly in front of them helping to fill in the face which will look much more flattering. This sounds a bit counter-intuitive but it does work. See below for a sample of the positioning of my flash when I do this. Notice the flash is pointed up and a little behind the shooter.
SPECIAL DIFFUSION MATERIALS
The next white to diffuse light is by using some kind of diffusion material. Now, this is only possible when you have the time and a way to mount the lights and efficient material so it requires a little more planning. There are many different materials that can be used to diffuse light. Some of these are made specifically for photography or film but you don’t have to use these to get a good result. Many times I’ve used bedsheets to diffuse window light and I’ve gotten excellent results. A common trick amongst portrait photographers is the good old shower curtain. If you can manage to get yourself a white translucent shower curtain it is a fantastic way to diffuse light and they are large enough to be able to cover a window most of the time. There are other materials that are specifically made for diffusing light in the same manner. Lee is a company the manufactures products for photographers and filmmakers and they have an excellent range of diffusion materials available for purchase. There are other manufacturers that also produce similar types of materials but in all honesty, I’ve not tried them as I’ve always used the Lee products.
A particular one that I use is the Lee 216 diffusion roll. You get almost 8 metres of the material it can be used over and over again. Unlike paper, this is a hard plastic and rip-resistant material. If you get this material dirty you can usually just wipe it to restore it. It is completely white so it doesn’t give off a color cast and it allows you to make really large diffusers which would otherwise be incredibly expensive. I have a piece permanently attached to a piece of PVC pipe with an angle that is ready to mount on a light stand. Very easy to make and it’s ready whenever you need it.
My set up using the LEE 216 DIFFUSION
Now, if you’re looking for something on a budget you can use other materials to do this. In fact, one of my favourite ways to diffuse lights is to use tracing paper. If you get yourself an old photo frame and remove the glass so that you only end up with a frame you can cover these with a sheet of tracing paper on either side and end up with a very useful light diffuser panel. Even though I’ve got a number of softboxes and professional diffusion materials, I still end up going back to some of these solutions every once in a while because they just suit the requirement better. If you don’t mind having to do colour correction during your editing, you can even use baking paper if you don’t have tracing paper. At the end of the day, you can get creative and put your own solutions together to try and make that light source larger.
5-in-1
Another budget solution that you can purchase would be the old 5-1 reflector. These reflectors are very inexpensive and readily available. They’re called 5 in 1 because they come with a cover that has two sides and is also reversible as well as removable to give you 5 combinations of reflective solutions. If you remove the cover from a five in one you will end up with a translucent white material. If you shoot a flash through one of these, it will diffuse the light beautifully. I still carry one of these with me just in case at every shoot. Below is the one that I use. It is not an expensive one and I’ve had it for a number of years so if you look after it, it will last you a really long time.
UMBRELLAS
OK, now it’s time to talk about umbrellas. The umbrella is probably one of the oldest ways to diffuse light. They have been used in the photographic industry for a number of years and continue to do so because they’re really effective at diffusing light. They are also one of the most cost-effective and affordable items that are specifically designed to diffuse light. Umbrellas are easy to travel with, they are inexpensive and they’re really quick to set up.
There are essentially two types of photographic umbrellas. The reflective umbrella, and the shoot-through umbrella. The shoot-through umbrella works by pointing your flash to the inside part of an open umbrella. The material of the umbrella is a translucent white material that let’s some of that light goes through the umbrella, hence the name. By shooting your flash into the umbrella you’re illuminating the whole of the umbrella which then becomes the light source. The umbrella is larger than your light (the flash) and so the light has been diffused and softened. I shoot through umbrella also allows you to bring the umbrella very close to your subject if you’re shooting a person. Some of the things that you have to look out for with an umbrella is that if you’re using them outdoors you need to secure the light stand well. Yet umbrella can act as a sort of sail and catch any breeze and it doesn’t take much to knock it over.
Neewer 2 Pack 33″/84cm White Translucent Soft Umbrella
The second type of umbrella is a reflective umbrella. The way you mount the umbrella onto the light is exactly the same as a shoot-through umbrella. The difference is that the material is not translucent. Typically the material on the inside of the umbrella will be white or silver.
By pointing your flash into the inside of the umbrella you will illuminate the inside of the umbrella and that light will then be reflected back onto your subject. This process makes the light source larger and the effect is that you have softened the light. This setup can result in a little more light reflected back onto your subject compared to the shoot-through umbrella. One of the limitations though is that you’re not going to be able to get your umbrellas close to the subject because you will have the umbrella rod protruding out. I typically use reflective umbrellas as feeling flash in combination with the softbox. The other way that I use reflective umbrellas is by placing two umbrellas at either side of myself we’re shooting groups of people. Some reflective umbrellas will also provide additional diffusion material that encases the whole umbrella and the flash to further diffusion but I tend to not use it because it takes a longer time to set up which is the one advantage of the regular umbrella. Another benefit of the umbrella is that it produces really nice catchlights when using it for portraits. Because the umbrella is round the catchlight will be round which in my opinion is a lot more flattering than having square catchlights from a softbox.
Notice the round catchlights in the eyes and how much they add to the photo.
SOFTBOXES
OK, let’s move on to softboxes. Softboxes are the standard in most studios as the way to diffuse light. They are designed to work mostly with professional studio strobes although they can be fitted to work with regular speed lights but you will find that most speed lights do not have the power to be able to use a softbox efficiently. Softboxes come in many shapes and sizes so let’s start off with the basic square softbox.
Softboxes have two components to them. Firstly, you have the softbox itself. You will then have a speed ring. think about like cameras and lenses. You would not be able to fit a Canon lens on a Nikon or Sony camera because the mounts on those cameras are different. Depending on the type of light that you have it will have its own corresponding Mount. Some of the most common mounts you will find on the market are Elinchrom, Profoto, and Bowens. There are many other types of mounts but those are the ones that I’ve worked with the most. You can get adapters to fit any of those branded softboxes onto different lights. If you purchase generic softboxes, you just need to specify the type of light that you’re going to Mount it on so that they can include the correct speed ring. The square and rectangular softboxes are very popular for product photography. The reflection that you get from these lights when photographing things such as wine bottles and other reflective materials can make the lighting very elegant. If you try to photograph a wine bottle for example using an umbrella he won’t be able to get that long thin defined light reflection along the side of the bottle. Softboxes take a little longer to set up in umbrellas but the diffusion tends to be over higher quality due to the fact that the softbox often has multiple diffusion materials inside the softbox itself. Softboxes have the added advantage I’ve been able to have honeycomb grids attached to them. These honeycomb grids allow you to narrow the beam of light coming from the softbox so that it only illuminates the subject and the light doesn’t spread off everywhere.
Softbox grid
Softboxes coming many shapes and sizes for when it comes to the square rectangular boxes the striplight he’s one of the most popular ones. Because it is so narrow it can usually be directed at a specific location and because it is so long it is able to eliminate subjects like a person top to bottom.
OCTA BOXES
Softboxes do not only come in square or rectangular shapes. They are also available in around the shape. This is typically called Octa boxes. Octa boxes suggest that there are eight sides to the circle but in fact, there are octa boxes that have many more sides but, are still referred to as an octa box. Typically an octabox is used for portraits as the catchlights are around just like the ones from the umbrella. The advantage of the umbrella says that the Octa boxes can be marched larger. My largest octabox is 1.5 metres across and can easily light a person top bottom with just that one light. The disadvantage of these octaboxes is that they are larger so they are the more complicated the tend to be to set up. They can also be very heavy and not easy to travel with. Just like with the square and rectangles of boxes, you need to ensure that you get the correct speed-ring for your lights when purchasing one of these.
PARABOLIC SOFTBOX
We’ve now come to the daddy of all softboxes. The parabolic softbox. These softboxes work on a similar basis is the reflective umbrella. In traditional octa box you Mount your light onto a light stand and then your auto box is mounted onto the light. This means that the light is holding the weight of the softbox. A parabolic softbox is going to be at least 1.5 metres across or larger. If he tried to mount a parabolic softbox onto your light, it would probably rip the mount of your light because parabolic softboxes are really heavy. Because of this, when using a parabolic softbox, it is mounted differently. When using a parabolic softbox you melt the parabolic softbox onto the light stand. The light is then attached to the softbox so that the softbox supports the light. Additionally, the light is mounted on the inside of the softbox just like a reflective umbrella. There is also a mechanism that allows you to move the light closer to the inside of the softbox or further away so that you can focus the light to get a more even spread over the inside surface of the parabolic softbox. These softboxes are incredibly expensive and can also be really large. So large that people that own these tend to leave them assembled all the time as it can take more than one person to put together.
CONCLUSION
So we’ve covered a lot of different options to diffuse light. Trying to decide what type of diffuser you need for your photography can be really confusing. The best thing is really to just get started with some of the free and inexpensive options like the ones we covered at the beginning of this article. Once you’re ready to invest some money, I would hardly recommend purchasing an umbrella. Specifically, I shoot through umbrella. In my opinion, this is the most versatile of all options if you’re just starting out. For not a lot of money, you are going to be able to notice a significant improvement to your photographs. I hope this guide has been helpful to you in understanding the difference between all the different options available to diffuse light. So go grab your flash and get creative with the different options. As always, if you have any questions on anything discussed here, please leave them in the comment section below.