Umbrella's

Brendan Mulachy

Brendan Mulachy

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What is more usefull to have, a shoot through or reflective umbrella , what are the plus's and minus's of each system
 
Brendan Mulachy said:
What is more usefull to have, a shoot through or reflective umbrella , what are the plus's and minus's of each system
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Shoot-throughs can deliver very soft light. Because you can use them close, so the light source becomes relatively larger compared to the subject, and the larger the light source, the softer the shadows.

In addition, half the light is reflected straight out of the back and in a typical domestic room this bounces off the ceiling/walls and all around the room back to the subject and this adds even further fill-in softening. Watch out that this light doesn't pick up too much colour from walls and furniture, though there's often not much you can do about it - the downside of shoot-throughs is lack of control.

White brollies are also very soft, similar to a softbox of the same size.

Silver brollies give a more punchy light, not unlike a beauty dish, with a harder core delivered from the centre with a softer component from around the edges. It's a nice combination, and silver is also more efficient, making the flash head appear more powerful.

Brollies seem to be a bit underrated and these days, compared to softboxes. Other upsides of brollies are that they're very cheap, take seconds to put up/down, pack away very small, and because of the way they mount, they usually take up less working room if you're tight on space.
 
totally agree with Richard...for the price, shoot-throughs are brilliant, just have to watch for what the spill is doing. Still use them myself, just so quick and easy!
 
get the best of both worlds and purchase a brolly softbox, cheap, tiny when packed quick to set up and controlled
 
breck1 said:
get the best of both worlds and purchase a brolly softbox, cheap, tiny when packed quick to set up and controlled
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Yes, up to a point. I use a Lastolite Umbrella Box (100cm £45 http://www.lastolite.com/umbrellabox.php ) quite a lot but always opt for a proper softbox when I can.

Softboxes can be used very close and the light tends to be more even and without the shadow of the flash head appearing in eye catchlights. Easy to clone out though.

Sotboxes are also more controllable, especially the deeper ones, with less spill. They often come with a 1-2in lip on the front to help more with this, and some can be fitted with a grid to really channel the light only where you want it and prevent flare when shooting towards the light. There are rectangular options too.

I like the Lencarta Profold softboxes that have many of these attributes, though they're not the only ones of course. Plus they erect like a brolly, very quick and easy. They're also very good value and most of them can be had in a variety of fittings.
 
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