Light Modifiers for Flashguns

Light Modifiers for Flashguns
Tom Lee tests the Softlite

One of the great challenges in using small, portable flashguns on any assignment is trying to replicate similar results to those expected in the studio with their much larger counterparts. As a wedding photographer, I generally try to work almost exclusively with the available light and rarely resort to flash or reflectors. With the coming of the Nikon D3 and good technique this is now more achievable than ever. There are however, occasions when it becomes necessary to supplement the ambient conditions with additional light sources to achieve a betterthan-average result.

Every day there seems to be someone tempting you part with hard earned cash on equipment that you seemed to have managed without for years, and rarely substitutes for good photographic technique. Whilst looking for something entirely different at Focus-on-Imaging I happened to spot a nifty little kit offered by Viewfinder Photography of Leicester. You’ve guessed it – I was tempted. What got my attention was the fact that it was a complete system in a box, scaled down proportionately for either the Nikon or Canon speed light flash units (other flash systems are also catered for). The kit comprises a diffuser dome, snoot and the heart of the system – the Softlite Reflector. The kit includes an accessory pack to configure the Softlite for different uses, including three separate honeycomb attachments, four Fresnel diffusers and a series of discs for turning the reflector into a beauty dish. At £140 +VAT it’s a lot cheaper than some modifiers that have only one function or use. The question is, will it do the job?

The first thing to say is that it’s no substitute for professional studio equipment, so if you think you can use this stuff in a portrait room – forget it. You are working with small light sources and the results don’t compare with a larger controlled lighting set-up. It is however, extremely portable and will suit the location portrait photographer or someone who makes house visits where space for large cumbersome equipment may not fit or be desirable. It can fit in your car, taking up no space at all and will always suffice in case of emergencies when battery power is king. This makes it ideal for the wedding photographer who already has a bag full of gear heavy enough to give them a hernia.

Time is always at a premium during a wedding shoot, so the second criterion is the speed of use. The snoot, diffuser dome and Softlite all attach to the flash unit using a velcro strap. Once the strap is tightened it grips the wide rubber band (provided) placed around the flash head and remains well fixed. The modifier will only become dislodged with rough handling.

With a week or so to familiarise myself with the attachments, I felt confident enough to use them on a ‘proper’ job. You can test these things to your heart's content in a studio environment with no pressure, but there’s no substitute for the real thing. Without changing the way I normally approach a wedding, I knew there would be occasions that flash would be required due to a lack of light.

The photograph of the groom holding the rings was taken inside a dark church, with poor light. The Softlight was fitted with the silver/white disc, turning the diffuser into a mini beauty dish and shot with the flash directly on the hot shoe. The flash was set on TTL and set to 2 stops less than ambient conditions, resulting in a pleasing exposure with no hard shadows. The flash sensor had no problem in calculating light output with the diffuser attached. The photograph of the bride having her accessories fitted was predominantly lit from the window directly behind her and the Softlite was used in the same manner as for the groom and rings.

Well the detail shots seem to work just fine, so how do portraits look? The Indian bride with red flowers was taken on the same wedding as above with the lighting coming from the left. The bride’s extensive family decided to line up in front of it to watch proceedings, blocking out about 2/3 of it! I don’t speak Hindi and the bride was far too excited to care, so I just got on with it. The flash was still set up for the bride accessory photos, in beauty dish mode and flash on the hot shoe. Although a little hotter than I expected the resulting image is shadowless and not dissimilar to a fashion lighting set-up I might use in the studio. There is still enough light coming from the left to add shape and dimension to the portrait, so it’s not a completely flat image.

At another wedding I wanted to try out some of the other attachments. This job was not so frenetic so we had a little more time to play. Making use of the multiple flash modes of the Nikon SB800 speed lights, I set the on camera flash into master mode with 3 stops underexposure (fill flash). A second flash was set up to slave mode and set at 1.5 stops underexposure. This unit was fitted with the Softlite and white Fresnel screen off camera at 45° left and resulted in the shaped light seen in the high-key seated bride. The combination of control offered by the speed lights and light modifier has resulted in an image that would be difficult to achieve in a cramped living room of a bride's house minutes before leaving in the car.

The ambient light for the outdoor portrait is again from behind the subject so fill lighting was required to balance the image. The same lighting techniques were used as above resulting in a great portrait with minimum fuss.

The image of ‘yours truly’ shows the beauty dish arrangement in use at an evening function where light is at a premium. You can see that there’s nothing complicated about its use and because it’s light, portable and versatile, it provides a handy alternative to straight flash in situations where it might be unavoidable. Although not all the accessories have been used in this test, the other items seem to be well made and were easily and quickly changed and carried in the boot of the car without much thought. Whilst some flash lighting accessories will modify the light in only one dimension you could purchase the complete Softlite accessory kit to modify the light in so many different ways for more or less the same financial investment.

For more information and further info
contact Shyam Ramnani
from Viewfinder on 0116 268 2178
or visit www.viewfinderphotography.co.uk

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