How SoftBoxes Work. Here is an example of using a camera flash to take a picture of a blue bottle against a white background.

Transcription

1 How SoftBoxes Work Generally, the purpose of a photograph is to represent something as it would appear in person. Because a photograph is a flat piece of paper and most objects are 3 dimensional, this becomes a challenge. Additional difficulties are added because photographic media do not respond to light the same way that our eyes and brain do. One of the key solutions to these problems that photographers have devised over the years is a softbox. We ll try to demostrate why a softbox is usually the best solution in most cases. Here is an example of using a camera flash to take a picture of a blue bottle against a white background. Built-in camera flash TTL system is fooled by the refllective nature of the subject Same shot with correction in PhotoShop for the underexposure. 1 SoftBox only No corrections As you can see, the first picture is not only very high in contrast, but the white background has gone dark gray, there is a hard black shadow behind the bottle, distracting from its shape and the subject looks to be a solid dark blue glass, not a translucent bottle. In the second picture, I corrected for the under exposure with PhotoShop. Even the sophisticated TTL system built into the camera was fooled by the reflective nature of the object and under exposed the bottle and the background. But still, the bottle and backgroud are darker than they should be and there is the very distracting black shadow. The picture taken with the softbox shows the shape of the bottle very well, holds the color of the bottle and the background. This is a pleasing picture to view. page 1 The SoftBox picture not only represents the bottle well, it also represents the

2 The SoftBox picture not only represents the bottle well, it also represents the background well. Light Basics A rule of light: the larger a light source is, the softer its quality of light will be. The smaller the light source, the harder (higher contrast) the light is. The less contrast, the more that can be seen in the shadows and the highlights. One of the challenges that a photographer faces is taking a 3 dimensional object, and reproducing it on a flat sheet of paper and not having the object look flat. In other words, you want a ball to look like a ball, not a circle. Using a light to the side will improve the dimension of an object, but the type of light is very important as many lights will produce high contrast. This is usually because the light is not very big in comparison to the object producing a hot spot on the object with very dark shadows Most people notice that pictures taken on a cloudy day produce a more pleasing and natural result because the light is soft. It has been diffused and enlarged. Normally, even though the sun is enormous, it is also very far away, making it a small point light source. This results in hard or high contrast pictures. On a cloudy day, the light source is enlarged, it becomes the whole sky, not just a point in the sky. This produces a light that is soft, low in contrast. The same result can be obtained by using the light that comes in from a window that is not direct sunlight---northern or eastern light. The softbox was develped to answer the need for soft light on demand A softbox softens high-contrast light from small light sources (lamps, flashes) to reduce harsh shadows and hot spots. It helps create soft, natural-looking light on both people and objects. The design of a softbox enables the light from the lamp head to bounce off the silver interior walls past the internal babble and then through the front diffusion face. The internal baffle helps to keep the light smooth and even. The following set of pictures where taken with the RPS Studio RS Octagon SoftBox. The bottle was on a shooting table with a white background. The camera was level with the subject and as close to the table as posible. Here is a diagram of the set up: page 2

3 SoftBox is 9 feet from the subject SoftBox with diffuser and baffle removed SoftBox with diffuser removed SoftBox with all componets In these pictures, the shape of the bottle is improved as we have moved the light source to the side and up thus moving the shadow to the side and below the bottle. This also helps give better shape to the bottle. In the picture on the left, the background has gone dark and the bottle is still too dark. Also, there is a very hard reflection on the bottle. By adding the baffle, in the center picture,

4 we have improved the background but the reflection is still very distracting. By adding the baffle and the diffuser in the right picture, we have improved the background, the shape of the shadow and the reflection is softened significantly. The bottle has a much more natural look to it. But, it is still not right, So far, we have demonstrated that a softbox is superior to a reflector light or a diffused light. Now, let s take a look at making the light bigger to prove our rule at the beginning: the bigger the light source, the better the light quality. 9 ft from subject 6 ft from subject 3 ft from subject 1 ft from subject page 4

5 page 4 Notice how the picture improves as the light gets closer to the subject. The shadows actually sofens. it is less distracting. Also, notice how the reflection becomes more natural (like it is coming from a window) and fits the shape of the bottle better. And finally, the background is closer to its original color. By moving the light closer to the subject, it has become bigger in relationship to the subject. The effect on the picture is positive. The contrast is reduced giving a more natural look to the picture. The light that is passing through the softbox is wrapping around the subject. This is why the shadow is lessened as the light gets closer. And this is why the sun creates such dark shadows. It s very large, but so far away that it becomes a point light source because it is relatively small in the sky. The result is hard, high contrast light. The same is true with standard reflectors. They are small compared to the subject, giving high contrast, unfaltering light that does not represent the subject well photographically. On overcast days, the sun is diffused by the clouds sending light in every direction (just what a softbox does). This wrapping of light causes shadows to be soft and unobtrusive and less elongated. Additionally, using a softbox helps the background to come out more like it truly is. Remeber, these pictures were taken using only 1 softbox. Now, take a look at what happens when we bring the softbox even closer. Before, when the softbox was 1 foot from the bottle, it was still 4 feet above the bottle. I have moved it to just a few inches from the bottle without getting it into the picture. For the shot at the right, I have also tilted the angle of the box downward so that I can get it as close as possible. page 5 Notice the reflection, it appears to be coming from a window. This is very natural looking. Notice how much softer the bottle looks when the light is as close as possible.