Video: Understanding Softboxes

A softbox is a tool that many photographers use to alter their off-camera light sources, but did you know that the softbox you choose can have a substantial impact on the way your photographs turn out?

Whether this is the first time you’ve heard of a softbox, or you have some experience using them, there is much to be gained from this great video by Jay P Morgan of the Slanted Lens, which gives side-by-side comparisons of different softboxes, while also explaining what a softbox is and why it’s so helpful in taking photos.

Taking photographs in a studio setting, Morgan provides behind-the-scenes footage of a shoot as he experiments with softboxes by changing the way he uses the same softbox or compares two different softboxes. This footage is paired with stills of the images he has captured during the shoot that illustrate just how much of a difference the choice of softbox, or the choice of how you use the same softbox, can make to the final image.

He also demonstrates how shifting the positioning of the softbox from vertical to horizontal (and vice versa) and having a silver or white lining inside your softbox can have a notable effect on the light that hits your subject.

If you are able to harness how different features of a softbox impact your image-making, you can learn to manipulate these features to create your desired effect.

You can see more of Jay P Morgan's videos on YouTube.