Initially, they may seem to do the same thing but they have their differences.
A shoot through umbrella spreads the light from the flash over a larger, translucent surface. The umbrella essentially turns a small light source into a larger one that scatters the light more efficiently. By scattering the light, it becomes softer so small details are lit evenly and does not show up as well in a photograph. Umbrellas are easier to transport and travel with as they can fold down quickly into a small size. [1-3]
Softboxes work in a similar way in that light has to pass through a translucent front before reaching the subject. The difference though, is that the light does not scatter everywhere and is a bit more directional. Light is trapped within the box with just one way out. This is good when you want to have more control of where the light goes. An example of this is lighting the subject but keeping the background dark. [4]
Sources::
[1] Hobby, D. (2006, March 23). Strobist: Lighting 101: Umbrellas. Strobist. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101-umbrellas.html
[2] How an Umbrella Works. (n.d.). Helix Web Photo School. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://helix.webphotoschool.com
[3] Vorpahl, J. (n.d.). Another quick comparison: shoot through umbrella vs. bounced /w cover | Portrait & Family Photography - Jacob Vorpahl.One Bright Spot Photography - Portrait and Family Photography | Jacob Vorpahl. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://onebrightspot.com/blog/2009/02/02/another-quick-comparison-shoot-through-umbrella-vs-bounced-w-cover/
[4] Arias, z. (2008, March 30). zarias.com :: The blog of editorial photographer Zack Arias » Shoot Through Umbrella vs. Softbox.zarias.com :: The blog of editorial photographer Zack Arias. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://www.zarias.com/shoot-through-umbrella-vs-softbox/
I’m not much of a photographer, though I would like to be. I’ve always been move involved in the photo editing process, so I can appreciate a quality photo that needs no or minimum retouches. Being able to capture the natural beauty of what you see around you is a great talent. Coming from a simple Photoshop perspective I had never really thought about how one would soften a shadow during the actual photography, my mind just immediately goes to the soften tool or any number of Photoshop editing tools. I hope one day to skillfully utilize some of the equipment and techniques you cover in your blog, very useful.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting post because I tend to take picture without a flash because I can not stand how it looks and I never thought about just defusing the flash. I am really interested in the softboxes now because it looks portable. It would be interesting if you could post more information on the different techniques in using the softboxes and defusing light general. On a side note what you recommend for DIY diffusers?
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