DIY softbox lighting: Light enters the room... through the door
Are you one of the photographers who love the soft and charming light that a large softbox throws onto a model? I absolutely am. And I forked out quite some money in order to get me some of these. But then again I found, that I hardly ever use them because most of my photo shoots happen on location. Call me lazy, but I shy away from the hassle to carry softboxes with me and set them up on location.
I rather use a couple of alternatives, one of which I show you in this video: It’s a an on-the-fly DIY softbox that is constructed using the a multi purpose reflector that doubles as a diffuser. For simplicity sake the diffuser is standing in a door, which provides for defined edges of my lightsource.
Have a look at the video:
I find it interesting that the speedlights behind this diffuser can be triggered from my on camera flash 100% reliable even though the flashes can’t see each other directly.
This DIY softbox is very easy to setup. Do you have some speedlights and a diffusor? If you don’t have such a multipurpose reflector like I show in the video, then make it a shower curtain DIY softbox, like I showed in a previous post. Or even a bedsheet DIY softbox? However, give it a quick test with an object, for instance a larger vase. If the light is interesting, then go ahead and shoot with a model and be happy about that fact that you did not have to go out and buy a pricy fulll lenght softbox.
I wish you good light!
-- Michael
Related Links:
Blogpost: Shower Curtain DIY Softbox
This video on Youtube: DIY Softbox Lighting Trick
Hard to get my thick German accent? Here's the transcript!
Hey fellow photographer! In this video, I will show you a lighting setup especially for fashion, a high fashion shoot. We are doing fashion on location, over here in a bar actually. Maybe you are shooting for a catalogue and they don’t want this boring stuff in front of grey background, some light coming from the front. They want to have photos with a bit of attitude, the light coming from the side, it is directional but it is still in a way that you can see of course every detail of the dress. Even if it is a black dress with black applications, you need to see every detail. At the same time, light should have attitude.
Alright, how do to that? We are doing it today in this way: We will have 2 umbrellas as our main lights; so they are illuminating the whole body. That’s important as they are the big light or the main light. For the fill on the other side - the feel needs to be quite strong. In order to bring across all the details of the dress we need a good fill. For the fill one umbrella is enough, for the main light, you actually want to illuminate the whole model and this is what we are doing over here with 2 umbrellas. All right!
Sometimes you just want more drama, you know, you want to dial it up a notch and this is where I bring in another speedlight as a back light. We will have this little baby in group c and we will fire directly into the lens or directly into the back of the model to rimlight her. To make the hair glowing, to make the dress glowing and it just adds this… it has this bit of drama which can really make a photo standing out. Let’s try that out!
So this little baby, it added a lot of drama. If you do that, don’t over do it, especially if you are shooting for a catalogue or something or for a fashion magazine, then you really want to see every detail of the dress and if you over do the back light and it really flares the lens then this detail is all washed away. So don’t over do it, but adding a little of backlight, it is great!
I hope you found this useful and I hope to see you in the next video, until then good light!
Great tip, Michael. The inner ring of a reflector is a great tool for fast and easy soft light - I use it often.
Thank you, Steve! If you like, then you are very welcome to post links to those photos of yours over here.
Very very nice. I was always playing with the idae to use flashlight and diffuser. Will give it now a try !
P.S. - they way how to leave comments here is not good. :The URL of your homepage is not valid. Remember that it must be fully qualified, i.e. of the form http ://example.com/directory.
Andreas
Thanks a lot. And if you like, then let us see the results. Sorry if the URL check is bothering you. The URL is optional, but if you type something in, then it needs to be valid. If I would allow for invalid URLs over here, then Google would sooner or later slap this blog.
I wish you good light!
-- Michael
Hi Michael,
I only recently started to see your tutorials and am finding them really excellent. Great tips, simple, creative and so effective, thanks a lot !!
KArl
Thanks a lot, Karl
If you ever need a tip regarding any specific topic or challenge, please post your question. I'll then show you how I am dealing with that particular topic.
Very nice work
Thanks Rome! Cool profile pic!
Great post Michael, the shots of your lovely wife turned out amazing. I especially like the one with her facing the wall. That is a clever and easy to pull off lighting setup. Thank you.
Al
As requested by one of our cousins I published the uncensored photos as well. They are on my photographer's portfolio on deviantART. I'm working on a portfolio website of mine, but it's not finished and it's not my top priority at the moment.
I wish you good light!
--Michael
Michael,
Thanks for these lighting tips, they're very helpful! I'm slowly assembling my mobile lighting kit and I love the diagrams you provide!
I have only been able to see one video on your page so far but not upset about that. I have been viewing them on youtube and I have been very impressed with what you do and accomplish with just speedlights. I only shot with them but I am learning as I go and to me your videos are the most helpful plus I love seeing the result you produce. This page is now one of the tabs on my browser.
Thank you.
Hi Gerald,
can you tell me which video you watched and one that does not work?
That is a very good idea. Your tutorials are very helpful. I just need a couple more flashes. :) And I think the photographers here are not going to be afraid of a bit of nipple. the coloured stripes were better than the normal back bars though :)
> I just need a couple more flashes.
Same with me, mate! I hope one day I find a shop selling speedlights in sixpacks at a nice discount.
Hi Michael, may i know or if you can link where to find that 2nd flash bracket that hangs on to the same light stand. I know of only use 2 light stands to assimilate strip lighting.
I am happy to find your preeminent way of writing the article. Now you make it easy for me to understand and carry out the concept. Thank you for the article.
Got it! Tnkhas a lot again for helping me out!
Love your simple but truly effective lighting setup. Really amazes my what you can do with simple speedlights and some creativity. People these days always tend to think more of the gear than of the actual images the like to shoot. Kudos!
Kudos to you, Marvin!
bright idea!...any plan to visit Jakarta or Bali island in near future Mike?