Pro Photographers ALL Use THIS Beginners Avoid

In this video, we're going to discuss the best modifier for pro photos and why beginner photographers don't use it. This modifier is incredibly powerful and can help turn any photo into a stunning masterpiece.
If you're a beginner photographer and you want to start elevating your photo quality, then you need to start using this modifier! It will help you to take your photography to the next level and achieve the results you've always wanted!
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[@TinHouseStudioUK]

Want to learn the current lighting trends in our industry? Head here www.tinhouse-studio.com/product/pre-sale-8-new-lighting-skills-for-food-drink-and-still-life/

[@lucasliaskos]

You are becoming my favourite photography channel in the KZbin space. Just good and real practical advise not focused on the latest gear and trends. Keep it up Scott!

[@anjfoto716]

This video reminded me of a photography educator named Dean Collins who was popular in the 80's. Dean only used scrims or what he called Lightform light panels with reflectors. He produced a whole series of VHS videos called Fine Light to teach commercial lighting. He never made it to KZbin, passed away at a young age.

[@sidestreetvideoproduction7278]

Dean Collins was an amazing educator. I have taken his seminars. If you get your hands on a VHS tape, watch it, you will be amazed. His use of one light, a reflector and a mirror to create a 3 light setup is amazing. However, Scott is amazing at his work and information. It gives me a new way at looking at things.

[@jerryriner1891]

I can't live without my DIY Dollar store shower curtain and disposable table cloth diffusers. I can get all different colors and I can even pick up lime green cloths and poster boards to use as green screens. The party supply aisle also has cellophane sheets for gift baskets that make pretty neat gels. I built a big cage around my product table from PVC pipes and I drape anything I want over it to create a giant soft box. My product table is a six foot utility table covered with a black table cloth and two planes of storm window glass; it's a wonderful mirrored surface. A few well-placed vanity mirrors help with spot lighting when I need it. Everyone forgets that the first pros had to make everything themselves.

[@ignacymat]

210cm white umbrella for the easy ones, 140 silver parabolic one for a bit of messing around and my favourite one is 70cm beauty dish with grid on it. I hate softboxes quite a bit, especially the octas.

[@chrisogrady28]

I only very recently realised how nice a reflector can be, I just got this huge 38cm long, 30cm end diameter, fine specularity one. The sheer size gives it a fairly narrow angle, but an extremely satisfying transition between centre, edge, and nothing. The light it casts looks very very expensive, and it cost more than most reflectors but still far less than a good softbox.

[@josephsy]

Your channel is basically the top gear of photography. I love it mate.

[@KB-hj3zs]

I literally cannot adequately express how your candor is recharging my passion for photography again. It's where I'm the most calm, and the things I can't draw can come to life. I needed this. I'll just be consuming all of the videos on your channel. Thank you. Thank you.

[@paulroyle-grimes8279]

Another great reflector is the 20” beauty dish - same thing great light and can be modified with scrims and bounce.

[@mattegan3439]

A 8ft x 4ft half black / white polyboard is extremely useful. Not just because it can provide great bounce / negative fill, but also produce some nice soft light.

[@nickraypost]

#1 modifier would be Cinefoil. Also worth mentioning common variety diffusion types that should ABOLUTELY be on hand like opal, 216, 250, and silk on big frames (4ft to 12 ft depending on shot). Nets, flags (negative fill rocks), scrims, and 4’x8’ foamcore and now it’s a real party. If you hire a good grip or gaffer, he can build custom soft boxes out of these materials. Lighting is awesome, great video!!!

[@DCuerpoJr]

For outdoor portrait photography I often rely on an octo soft box with a grid. But for indoor studio work I often use a parabolic 7’ or a beauty dish. Though I do use reflectors for lighting the background or filling specific areas.

[@kevinparkes417]

My strobes came with reflectors which have mostly languished in their boxes. After watching this video I went and tried them out with the diffusers out of my cheap 5-in-1 reflectors sets. Wow. So simple and gave me just the light I was after. Thanks Scott

[@kristofbarta2964]

Last time I've used a reflector on the white ceiling, 1x1m scrim between the light and the subject, bang nice even overhead light. Another one just the reflector for character. Easy, quick.

[@tlpetrella]

"The sun...goes!"...Love it!

[@tcphoto]

I see soft boxes as a ready made or quick fix, if I have time I will use a reflector and scrim to actually "light" a set. Knowing the difference and implementing it is what makes you a professional.

[@hodgkissphotography]

I really only ever use a reflector and a translucent brolly - that I push nearer or pull out of my elinchrom head to hard/soften it. Worked for 30 years lol.

[@inlocoparentis]

I used to be a softbox gal... then, on the recommendation of Ab Sesay, I picked up a Westcott 45deg Deep Focus reflector. I used it on one shoot using both open and grid, one with a 600Ws strobe, and another with a speedlight. It changed how I look at my modifiers and the kind of light I want to use in my photos.

[@andrefelixstudio2833]

Nice video, yes the reflector is a nice bit of kit and they are over looked as a tool. I have a stack of them. Here in the USA top photographers for years have been using Norman lighting and I have yet seen anyone talking about that lighting gear? On another note I own all my gear and we take it to any rented studio as my guys know how to set it up and use it, not big on renting gear!

[@PeteLovesPixels]

Personally I really like your choices here. I use reflector and scrim but have one more item that I swear by. Barn doors. I like the additional control they give..

[@RogerBays]

Last studio I set up a network of washing lines using Paracord. From these I could hang or clothes peg various white or black fabrics and gels e.g. frost cloth from a hardware store, NZ$8 (4quid) per humongous length, coloured cellophane from $2 shop (I don't use near heat). I then used speedlight/s on a stand with greaseproof paper or a small bit of frost cloth or a dry baby wipe wrapped over the front (to quieten the hot spot) and held in place with a rubber band. These lines lack fine positioning and fabric hangs vertical, but generally works well enough in combination with other techniques. I build scenes that once photographed become photographic artworks, so a bit different usage to shooting products. Frost cloth is also good because it is so thin you can play with multiple layers. And the whole system is very light weight. I also love umbrellas, highly underrated, quick and light.

[@kendricksnotaboutit]

I cannot stress this combination enough! In the last year I’d say 90% of my professional work was shot through a standard reflector and lee 216 mounted on some home made frames. And when I’m gaffing for someone else I always turn up with a roll of diffusion, job done!

[@beliefcorps]

Just started using one when an old school photog challenged me to one day. Taking it out tomorrow as a matter of fact.

[@stephenkarlisch2090]

love that old bron zoom reflector, but just so you know, profoto reflectors all move in and out on the heads allowing the same movement your bron has. Nice way to tweak that spread. Great video. I'm a Magnum/silk guy, love the versatility. And I love how all broncolor gear looks like something out of the original Battlestar Galactica series.

[@blakegirouxphotography]

Oddly enough that's exactly what I thought you were using only because it seems to be the only modifier the photographers I worked for used for product photography and most of their commercial work. I don't know why this is an unknown or under appreciated bit of kit, however it was the first thing I bought myself when I started my own business

[@daleelliott7390]

I've been blown away by the results I've gotten from a cheap amazon brand reflector that came with 3 different honeycomb grids that cost roughly 15-20 pounds. I definitely prefer the results of combining these with a diy diffusion scrim over a soft box for softer light and shadows etc.

[@photopracticum]

The only problem is, if you want to have a decent sized scrim, say 1x1 meters, it will be quite heavy, so you'll need a c-stand and a sand bag. It works great in a studio, but not very convenient if you have to travel with it. I also think fresnel works a bit better than a reflector. It is very directional but a bit softer, which is better of you shoot portraits.

[@fanjan7527]

For just big soft source light and ease of use specifically travelling, I've come to love umbrellas. They travel super easy, the weight is generally closer to the stand, and you get them huge at small prices. I also have a big softbox parabolic thing, but I hardly use it cause I need a beefy stand for it. Then I generally use my reflectors on my Godox Ad200 and my 600. But this is only when I have the space - although white walls are a treat

[@vladangracanin1725]

When I started, all I could afford was a couple of cheap flash heads with reflectors. I couldn't afford soft boxes so I made cheap scrims out of white fabrics my wife had. Worked great and produced the final results I wanted and clients needed.

[@shaken0007]

Profoto heads also very cool with sliding reflectors

[@RexEllacott]

Yes I agree, been using reflectors for years and giant scrims, especially for drama, or when the clouds come and go on outdoor commercial shoots. Indoors, I use a combination of Strobes and Leds at times, as I prefer to mould the light or dapple it for effect. Keep up the great work. It's all about the lighting 4 sure!!!

[@JeahnLaffitte]

This is awesome! So glad you shared this. At first I thought you were busting out an old Fresnel but this simple combo has been lost on me until now. Thank you!

[@brad_in_yyc]

I love my reflector. I use the standard Godox one. But I've been interested in testing others. I also enjoy my Glow 120cm para with extension rod as well.

[@Mettyunuabona_]

Been looking into this lately, good to know

[@packman451]

This old beet-up Elinchrom Maxi Dish or Lite, something like that, with a salvaged piece of silk stretched over it. (the thing is massive and a pain to cary around)

[@bedingo]

Long-time lurker here. I've been a big fan since I came across your video covering what professional photographers need to know beyond the technical stuff (culture, trends, aesthetics, etc...). Question - do you think you could cover more topics, lessons, and business advice for hybrid shooters? In today's day and age, it seems like you have to know a bit of both to get ahead, which requires a different approach to kit, lighting, etc... Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, LOVE the new look on your videos. Cheers!

[@TinHouseStudioUK]

Sure. What do you mean by hybrid shooters?

[@bedingo]

​@@TinHouseStudioUK Creatives who get hired for gigs involving both video and photography. I frequently get asked to provide a bit of both these days (started out with just photography).

[@notjustanygeorge]

Great video, would love to hear your thoughts about globe diffusers!

[@BirgitDeubner]

I love this modifier.

[@jjkdc62]

I've recently started shooting portraits with an LED light with a reflector attached. I found that by taping a single layer of Kleenex tissue onto the reflector it creates a lovely "not too hard, not too soft" sort of light.

[@oleleclos]

You may be tiring of my stories about commercial photography in the 1970s, but this is really funny. Back then, this is exactly what most of us used most of the time. The softbox had not been invented, and we really only used brollies for fashion and other slightly “sloppy” work (by which I mean that action or content told the story better than playing with lights). For everything else we used reflectors and baffles or scrims. BTW, the best reflectors I ever had came with my very first, second hand studio flash, a Braun 800 WS pack with four BEAUTIFULLY engineered heads that each had a parabolic and a wide reflector and a flash tube/modelling light (1000 W halogen!) that moved back and forth for complete light control. I later modified those heads to use with Elinchrom packs with much more power, but they never failed.

[@TinHouseStudioUK]

NEVER! I wish I was working back then.

[@vizzo7]

I only use reflectors and when i need soft i use light through umbrella. It the fastest and most portable. with 3 umbrellas you can do all the light combinations. softbox is tedious to mount and unmount, scrims dont fit in any car and sometimes are also tedious to unmount.

[@matthewjeffres1289]

‼Absolutely ‼Enough said.

[@reniesboutique]

My go-to setup is reflectors and scrims 👍

[@sidestreetvideoproduction7278]

I started with reflectors - 12, 16 and 20 inch reflectors. Moved to soft boxes and umbrella's. Scott makes me want to go back and explore reflectors again. Now what did I do with those old reflectors? They're way in the back of somewhere...

[@STILLWILLPHOTO]

Favorite modifier,... foam core

[@gunnarornarnarson2556]

Zoom Reflector and a grid, a strip lighting grid and a scrim, this is my go to 90% of the time

[@Popa_Bogdan_Light_Drawing]

Thank you! just a softbox ... until now

[@dougpittman9446]

Broncolor PAK reflector, helps get every ounce of power out my lights for interior shoots.

[@DynastyUK]

Reflectors, Umbrellas and bare bulb are under used, you're right, it's always Parabollocks this parabollocks that! haha

[@ricardourroz9322]

Hey! Nice videos, been learning a lot. I am fashion and beauty photographer and I want to start practicing product photography, really like it. Do you have a video or could you give some pointer if you´ve had only let say 3 small led lights? would be possible at all? Or you think it has to be with a strobe? thanks

[@Gary_G]

Dang, throw that soft box. Just had a laugh.

[@StudioPubPhoto]

Hello, thanks for your video.Where did you get the black reflector? I've never seen this before and I've had broncolor for over 20 years. Thanks Claude

[@JeffCreates]

As i go out the door for a shoot with my little reflector, I'm happy it's not the afterthought i kind of thought it was. ....has there always been a blue paper roll on the right as well as the left? It's making me twitch.

[@yichuanlou3855]

So it's a zoom reflector ？I use Profoto and Profoto zoom function is simple & smart, very like it.

[@anttiranki3690]

Holy hell! Please tell me what the "spigot" for mounting the light is called? I have a couple of those Broncolor lights, but I have no way to properly mount them on a C-stand, because they have got that same teal colored mechanism on them!

[@TinHouseStudioUK]

I honestly have no idea as I got them years ago. Its a lightstand to 1/4inch though if that helps the search and I THINK I got them from peartree

[@KenOja]

The closest to the real sun so far for me is the apeture spotlight + 600d (daylight only). Very sharp shadow and no falloff in the corners when placed far enough :) The shadows appear quite dark, so little fill needed. Another trick that I have not used in photography, but have seen on film set is to have one hard light and soft light right behind it on the same axis...it kind of makes sense because sun is not only hard light. It is mixture of the sky around it (soft light) and the sun in the middle (hard light).

[@justindoherty359]

Excellence!

[@ziad.mp4]

Maybe I'm using them improperly, but I feel like when I use a bare bulb I get cleaner shadows than when I'm using a reflector?

[@TomParsonsposts]

27" silver beauty dish

[@kiwimike2330]

I prefer white ones for beauty dishes.

[@TomParsonsposts]

@@kiwimike2330 cool but I am after the contrast. I never really use a sock or scrim either

[@alexrogers9533]

Great vid as always Scott! I’m in the process of getting a small studio together and think I might hold off buying a soft-box now. Would you advise getting the *much more expensive* rosco scrim? Unsure if this worth the extra monies.

[@TinHouseStudioUK]

Nah get tracing paper. It’s nearly as good haha

[@expeditionsinsound2202]

Low flat white ceiling + reflector + scrim = softbox

[@samuelvasquez974]

I mean there's a reason you usually never see a soft box on a multi million dollar movie set. Any set I've ever been on for shooting a commercial or a movie, has literally been flags and scrims.

[@nickraypost]

Yeah man, our hot continuous lights would absolutely SMOKE most still photo stuff due to heat. Flash is completely different game: great power output, super lightweight (in comparison), and way less need for fresnel lenses on lights or gloves on your hands! Otherwise all principles apply, loads of grip equipment is common.

[@julioestebanperezescudero6246]

I started like that. Later I bought soft boxes. Guest what, my photography change for the worse😂😂😂

[@liamstrain]

reflector + barndoors (or a roll of blackfoil). Actually - just the blackfoil. Nothing else is as useful.

[@jonjanson8021]

Soft boxes are idiot proof. A one size fits all 'throw a bucket of paint at a wall' solution.

[@kiwimike2330]

Why are you still using strobes, strobes are for shooting people, continuous lighting is so much better for doing product photography. Especially with all the focusing zoom attachments to make hard light with perfect edges or dial in exactly how hot you want the centre, and the ability have any colour you want all controlled by an app. Its such a better way to work with WYSIWYG. It’s 2023 after all, and you’re working like it’s still 1978.

[@nickraypost]

He’s shooting strobes for cost effective power output, and higher quality light. Sure you could keep shutter open longer sometimes, but not all the time. Lots of risks in details like water droplets/condensation, bubbles in drinks, steam, ice, foam, waves in studio pool, blah blah blah. Why spend thousands to downgrade to slow shutter speeds like an amateur?