Broncolor is known to be the creme de la creme of the lighting industry, and now they’re announcing a new softbox system with loads of different flashes and studio strobes. The new softboxes let you layer three diffusers over one another and have color codings on the speedring to make the softbox assembly easier. They also come in different shapes such as square, rectangle, octagonal and strips. Lastly, the company is talking about a special internal coating that maximizes light output.
The softboxes come in the following sizes:
Strip: 1 ft by 3.9 ft, 3.9 ft by 5.9 ft, 3 ft by 3.9 ft
Square: 2 ft x 2 ft, 3.3 ft by 3.3 ft
Rectangle: 1.2 ft x 2 ft, 2 ft by 3.3 ft
Octa: 2.5 ft and 4.9 ft
No word on pricing or availability yet, but don’t expect them to be cheap.
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Almost any serious camera these days comes with a pop-up flash. Some even go so far as to say a camera is not a proper camera without one. But let’s be honest, nobody really uses them, because they emit an ugly form of harsh, direct light that does not help at all to make a picture look better. Quite on the contrary. The internet is full of snapshots with bad lighting, and our eyes are sore from looking at them. In comes Photojojo’s Deluxe Pop-Up Flash Bounce, which aims at once and for all doing away with bad pop-up flash illuminated pictures.
And the idea is really simple. It attaches into your camera’s hot shoe and diverts the pop-up flash’s light burst upward, preferably to a ceiling from whence it is reflected onto your subject. The result: a picture with soft, indirect illumination that is much easier on the eyes of both the person photographed as well as the person looking at the picture. And at a price of US-$ 37, there really is no excuse anymore for bad flash pictures, is there. Even if you’re afraid of a proper speedlight.
Sample photos down below.
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Editor’s Note: Creating the Photograph is a series that we’re starting where we interview photographers all about how they created an image. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com
Aaron Nace is one of the head honchos over at Phlearn: arguably one of the best photography learning website ever. Since seeing his video on how to do Terry Richardson’s lighting, I was hooked on the creative content they produce. It was by chance that I found his image, “Night Flight” on 500px. Knowing what the man is capable of, I was eager to know how he shot it.
Here’s his story. And if you’re interested check out more in our Creating the Photograph series.
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For those moments where you need something more powerful than a speedlight but without carrying a massive unit, a small monolight can usually do the trick. Adorama has unveiled their new Flashpoint 180 Monolight kit complete with batteries, umbrella, umbrella reflector and of course the monolight itself. And all this is going for only $199.99. In all honesty, that’s a steal, but I wish that the unit were smaller and more speedlite-like in design and interface.
The light has a Bowens mount for a bunch of different light modifiers and it also has a stepless knob to control it for five different stops of power. The only thing that would make this deal sweeter is radio controls included with the kit. However, we’re not complaining–but please do note that monolights and speedlites work in completely different ways and have different flash durations.
Editor’s Note: Creating the Photograph is a new series that we’re starting where we interview photographers all about the photo that they shot and talk to them about how it was achieved. The results are some knowledge passed onto you. Want to be featured? Email chrisgampat[at]thephoblographer[dot]com
Some photos have such a beautiful and simple look to them, but most people have absolutely no idea how they were lit. Upon searching for, “Strobist” on 500PX, I came across the work of László Nagy. He curates loads of awesome photos on his Tumblr, and is also a hobbyist photographer–these two combine to give him quite the eye for details. The way he created the photo above is quite simple in one way but that also utilizes a trick that many of us sometimes forget.
Here’s his story. And if you’re interested check out more in our Creating the Photograph series.
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There are times when the latest, most advanced, feature-filled camera gets in the way of the very thing that it was designed for – making pictures. Surprisingly, it has little to do with the mechanics of the camera and more about the person holding it. In this case, it’s me.
I only started to be aware of this when I began shooting with my iPhone. As I increasingly used the phone to make images, I realized that I photographed in a very different way than when I shot with my HDSLR. In many ways, I was looser, more reactive. More importantly, I was having more fun.
The resulting images seemed to excite me more despite the fact that I didn’t have the benefit of interchangeable lenses, uber-resolution and a high burst rate. So, I began to think about the things that I was doing with my phone, which I could translate to my work with my “real” camera.
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