The difference between an umbrella, softbox, strip and bare flash

Wednesday 15 January 2025, 15:51 by Elja Trum | 3,062 views | 3 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

A light modifier, such as a softbox, umbrella, strip softbox, snoot or reflector, has a big effect on your photo. But what is the actual difference? Gavin Hoey shows the differences clearly in this video.

The striped softbox also has a grid. That is an important detail for the results. It ensures that there is much less light spill towards the sides.

You might think: that umbrella provides the most complete lighting. Everything is lit evenly. That is true, but the light is also the least exciting. As a photographer, you often want more control over your light. The softbox helps with that, but you get even more control with a grid.

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About the author

Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.

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3 comments

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 21 January 2025 at 13:57 | reply
Nice to see those comparisons, but I still feel something is missing.
The umbrella being used is one that is flashed through. But there are also umbrellas that have reflective foil on the inside (white, silver or gold-coloured), where the flash is not aimed at the model, but at the inside of the umbrella. That would, in my opinion, still give a different effect.
Translated from Dutch.

Elja Trum wrote on Tuesday 21 January 2025 at 14:02 | reply
Yes, there are of course quite a few other light modifiers as well.

An indirect umbrella with foil gives somewhat harder shadows and still quite a lot of spread of the light (but less than when flashing through the umbrella).
Translated from Dutch.

Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 21 January 2025 at 14:29 | reply
Indeed Elja, there are other light modifiers that each have their own influence on the light illuminating the subject. You could even make a separate course out of that .
Translated from Dutch.

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