Should You Use A White Shoot-Through Umbrella? (Pros + Cons Detailed) ⛱

[@wfp9378]

On site shoots they are EXCELLENT. Fast and easy to set up. Try putting several soft boxes together in someones office while they watch the clock. Umbrellas (silver and shoot through) can be up and ready to shoot in 1-2 minutes. Sometimes we as photographers want to be perfect, when even our "hmmm I can get this much looking better" are STUNNING for corporate head shots as they are. In the studio....its a total different story...we have time, client expects us to fluff around.... thats another story

[@creepyloner1979]

i use frosted clear plastic umbrellas from a dollar store. much better light transmission and less spill than white nylon. oddly enough, they also sell white umbrellas and nylon umbrellas that are painted silver on the inside.

[@starfood]

Did u detach the handle to be able to slot it into the umbrella holder?

[@johnz4412]

They're nice for location portability, especially outdoors where back-spill has no impact.

[@winni223]

...equally if you shoot in a dark room or a high ceiling. Their portability beats all when shooting outdoors.

[@azzalos]

I would really love to learn how to use lighting depending on a person’s facial characteristics, versus always using top notch fashion models with excellent makeup that look good in any lighting.

[@sandro65781]

this

[@smalltalk.productions9977]

i use umbrella all the time. the white shoot thru is always helpful, even in my small white walled studio. i also use the bounce umbrella, both black-backed silver and white. in this very helpful YT vid, (MANY of Karl's YT vids are REALLY quite excellent!), i thought the side by side thoughtfully pointed out the difference in contrast which is an aspect of portraiture that i am constantly working to explore. thanks for the effort and the sharing. i am an appreciative subscriber. thumbs up.

[@markonikolicphoto]

Dear Mr. Karl, your videos as always are on-point! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us! I am currently using a 165cm deep umbrella with a diffuser (a cheap, fast-mount, alternative to a big soft light modificator). That diffusor can help out the spreading of the reflection of the light from the inside of the umbrella. It cannot completely dampen it, but the cheap 5in1 black reflector that is attached to that diffuser can help out light reflection. It is important to leave space for the flash head to cool down! Luckily on one led head when I was working, there was an auto overheat switch so it saved me while I was focusing on a job. Hope this info can help out someone! All the best! Much love and support!

[@MikhailProskalov]

I'm using umbrellas while shooting on a factories due to their cheapness and durability. Also moving around is easier when you're folding it straight on a stand and then go whatever you need to. Godox has a model with a curtain behind, so you don't have light spill all over the room, but evenly shined umbrella if using a bulb like flash. Mine is ad200 for example

[@markonikolicphoto]

yeah, Godox has translucent, silver, and white umbrellas with reinforced material. I have the 165cm "parabolic" (yea, they actually say that is parabolic) white non-translucent umbrella that is so freaking amazing. This is actually one of my biggest umbrellas I own and it works great for that bucks

[@haqvor]

Standard umbrellas also feather the light at the edges better than other modifiers which can be useful when mixing flash with daylight to get a smoother transition. Even with gels it is almost impossible to get a perfect match in color temperature between them, a smooth transition makes it less obvious. A backing solves the problem with light escaping out the back, at least Elinchrom and Profoto has them but I didn't find any for Broncolor but perhaps I missed something.

[@mustafahussayn4744]

I used umbrella for food photography but the results varies with each food items. For example there was a waffle with fruits, small chocolate pearls, chocolate drizzle and other items with crepe with similar toppings. Later on, I used the softbox.

[@markonikolicphoto]

I used both softbox and silver/white umbrellas for food/product photography. I found out that the softboxes are better for shiny things like honey drip, glasses, spoons, plates, etc, and silver umbrella to have more depth.

[@josephchan4198]

I think you could use it for some general product photography or people.

[@VTGGT]

My 1st modifier was a godox ub165. It made a sun-like light which helped me a lot at outdoor shootings. But when In-door it was difficult to utilize it. One windy day when on an outside shooting the tripod fell off and the umbrella broke. From that moment I bought a godox Gue120cm octabox which opens and closes like an ubrella but is still a versatile bowens mount softbox capable of using without an assistant. It produces great soft light on indoor and outdoor scenarios. The 80cm equelevant is much lighter to carry but the softlight results are disappointing compared to 95cm and 120cm octaboxes I've used.

[@markonikolicphoto]

Hi! If you have a big studio, the light from the inside reflection will not be present that much in the shot as in smaller studios because the photons are losing the energy through the travel distance, right?

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Yes that's correct because of the inverse square law

[@blakeaghili4681]

I have found translucent umbrella makes colors more saturated too

[@Chris-ey7zy]

Like direct sunlight. Probably a certain polarizer effect

[@creepyloner1979]

you can get covers for the back of the umbrella to make it much more like a soft box.

[@alejandroperezsacco2346]

Hello. Thanks for your contribution. I usually use two umbrellas to illuminate small groups at weddings and receptions with speedlights. I think it is a very practical and useful tool for these situations.

[@ronaldmoravec2692]

Stupendous light if used correctly. The only thing I like better is 6 foot diameter with diffuser over it. I do like soft light.

[@kenn6592]

Interesting. Learnt a lot.

[@anthonyroberts7641]

Karl still providing premium, well presented education! Great work

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Much appreciated!

[@stormfalconstudios]

A closed back shoot-through is my favorite modifier.

[@josephchan4198]

I hope to see more full -frame and Hasselblad sample product photography photos at a future date. Great work on the videos!!

[@markgoostree6334]

I recently used these white umbrellas to shoot our church directory. Not perfect but the directory looks pretty good. Mostly, I felt like I got lucky that, all in all, the family shots worked out for me. I am a long way from professional at this.

[@ckmaui]

Platon seems to use them for his portraits a lot reckon he still is ? Legend for sure I prefer softbox myself

[@MRPUERTORICAN100]

Perfectly explain....! 👏🏼 Thanks for sharing your knowledge 💪🏼

[@virgian2]

Love the “Lighting Comparison Visualiser” ❤. Are there any plans to make this an app? I would pay for it just to have it on my iPad with high def pictures. Your tip and information are excellent as always. Thank you, sir 🙏🏾

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Hi and thank you, we have a free app on our website that compares the modifiers: visualeducation.com/lighting-comparison-tool/

[@noenken]

Umbrellas work great for a small kit in combination with speedlights. In the past I really liked the Westcott convertibles, white shoot through with a removable black cover. And the inside had a tiny bit of a shine that made highlights just a little bit sparkly when used as a reflective umbrella.

[@kenn6592]

How different is using a parabolic umbrella?

[@richarddukeshire]

Thanks for all the great content.

[@VisualEducationStudio]

My pleasure!

[@ChuckStJohn-205]

Can you do one about a “Brolly ”?

[@ARTEGO70]

Thanks. I just got out the old umbrellas and your review is very useful as always. I 'm more interested in an umbrella for reflection . I'm looking forward to the second part. I think in dark studios or studios with a large space, the effect of reflected, parasitic light is not terrible.

[@fidiak]

Thank you

[@zucchina24]

Hi Karl, thank you for this video! Do recommend a clear or frosted glass dome for using with the umbrella?

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Frosted would be slightly better

[@erbterb]

The latern is a shoot through umbrella paired with a reflective umbrella for less light loss into the room. What if you take two umbrellas in opposite direction, one white and one reflective?

[@davidventura1424]

The greats from DavidBailey and Richard Avedon used these prior to the design of Softboxes!!!

[@alexanderpons9246]

Great video Mr. Karl Taylor, love how you cover all the things to take into consideration in order to make the best use of Gear! Question, will a good use of the shoot through umbrella can be to fill up shadow areas lightly? Thanks for all the great content you and your Team make in this great channel!

[@Chris-ey7zy]

I’ve become a big fan of my 70” shoot thru umbrella with 600 watt flash

[@samykingson5427]

great photography lessons .

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Many thanks!

[@RealRenovationStoriesDMV]

Thank you for the useful information as always. 🙌

[@VisualEducationStudio]

Glad it was helpful!

[@hogg1media627]

to my understanding, You are supposed to shoot with the open side of the umbrella anyway. its interesting how different shooting see photography

[@coldhardtruth333]

Awesome

[@dominicwroblewski5832]

I have never been a fan of the shoot through umbrella. The cons outweigh the pros. I have a very small home amateur studio and have found that light control is next to impossible. I will use one for simple one light/one reflector portraits if only for the catch light it creates and these are close up head shots. Like any tool you have to learn it's strengths and weaknesses to use it correctly.

[@cameracitizen8807]

i have 150 cm size i use it on potraits only

[@givebackdocumentaryproduct5981]

Thanks Karl . Really enjoying this channel. Used to watch your videos many years ago and always found them very educational, thankfully the same can be said of this channel. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, it's truly appreciated.