Umbrella vs Softbox - LIVE Photoshoot

[@speterlewis]

And you can restrict the spill even more with a grid for the softbox.

[@captainprice8022]

No other photographer can contain such an enormous knowledge in a single video. my dream is to show you my photos one day. Big fan from India.

[@Shiznaft1]

Love the info from Matt, and Steph's zaniness is what keeps me watching.

[@mommad77]

As someone getting into ocf, this has been helpful to compare gear, show settings, and show the difference. Thank you

[@mattgranger]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bendailey6070]

Steph is awesome! Beautiful, talented, and a great personality. The two of you work together welll.

[@chriskahl2]

I've said it before & I'll say it again - as good as Matt's content is, Steph is the reason I always click through. So content creators, get yourselves a Steph! j/k - there's only one Steph!!

[@ACDGibson]

The model was such a joy to watch :)

[@JohnMHazlewood]

Thanks for the comparison and quick tutorial on using both modifiers. Steph brilliant as usual. Love the new haircut.

[@cidercreekranch]

The onscreen labeling indicates the use of an umbrella when a soft box was used.

[@dimitristsagdis7340]

You can also get add ons for the premium umbrellas like silver and black fabrics that attach to them which convert them into pretty good light boxes for a fraction of the size/weight/price of a dedicated light-box and you could bounce the light one more time for extra softness before sending it out; which is a plus compared to a light box. Personally I use such a combo and I found it far more convenient as the whole thing together with a proper camera tripod fits in the tripod bag. I do use for umbrellas the flash holder Matt was using with the light-box but instead of a light stand I use an old aluminium tripod or my main carbon-fibre tripod if I do not need it for the shoot. I find the issue with umbrellas toppling is the low/light/cheap quality light stands. if you actually use a camera-tripod then you can hung weight and if on soil dig the legs in a bit which makes the umbrella as stable as a light box. The issue of light behind the subject is neither here nor there; it depends on what you want to do (as some other comments suggest). With the extra fabrics an umbrella can resolve this but in most cases I use a second flash or continuous light behind the subject (unmodified/no box) for separation/rim light so I do get light pollution in the background anyway and it depends on how far/low that second light is from the 'background'. If you do outdoor environmental portraits then the back light spill-over is often a non-issue. Just my 2 pence - tnx for sharing Matt, wonderful as always.

[@nikomaswagarapgod8998]

Educative... thnxx

[@gentlegnt]

Excellent footage as always, Matt. Steph has made it fun with her awesome smile as always. Glad to see you both making it happen. :-)

[@Leukick]

5:35 "Please stop killing the air, I need this air..." lol

[@Bullwinkle056]

Looking fantastic and sorry, I don't mean you , Matt.

[@keikaikakupaa]

LOL You can tell the martial arts influence! A lot of people I know, including myself does the same thing when there's nothing to do. Got the marketing deal, looking forward to going through it all.

[@juergendechert2706]

Amazing haircut Steph !!! I realized it immediately in the first scene ... it fit's you perfectly !!!

[@JuanDavidJaramilloXD]

as always... great content; Steph looks really fresh in her new haircut, and the ramp up of the silliness factor was on point for this one😄 keep it up😉

[@Lordred1069]

Nice video I like more the soft-box for the control of the direction of the light of course all the modifiers have his purpose but with softbox you can add a grid.

[@toddholmes1719]

Great information, and terrific collaboration between you & Steph (as always). (Editing note: all the soft box photos are labeled “umbrella”.)

[@carstenortlieb5040]

So much fun watching you. Really missed Tina at first - but now: Steph is great, so natural!

[@TheRealStevenGlen]

Steph is a gem I hope she gets all the modeling jobs she wants

[@davidpavlich8939]

Like I said before, you guys are the best photography duo. 😊 Just good stuff!!

[@prashanthm4641]

Matt always helps us become not just a better photographer ;)

[@cliflowry9433]

Good demonstration of these two inexpensive modifiers. Maybe you can continue on to next level modifiers. For Steph, I think the shorter hair is letting you get more shape to your hair. Looks great.

[@Alex_science]

Very nice comparison. Wonderful and sweet model!

[@oysteinthorsen]

Which one is my favorite to use, umbrella or softbox? Will have to say the one that works for the photo I want to take..... Some times I want to spread the light as much as possible, so umbrella, and sometimes I want to restrict spreading the light, so softbox.

[@romiemiller7876]

I use the Godox (same as Flashpoint) AD200 & V1 flashes with the accessories for the V!, and a Nikon SB5000 with a Godox receiver, and various umbrellas, strip boxes and soft boxes. Work great, and the accessory kit for the V1 & slip on diffesers for the SB500 allow me to have excellent control of light in extremely small areas.

[@Hussainzidane]

good stuff, I like this girl's energy 😁

[@Talkaboutit1]

good video like always! 1 thing I would do differently is that I would put the umbrella closer to the flash

[@魚蛋-k1d]

I love 120cm Octadome +- grid, always as my on the go gears.

[@fototrip9346]

Leica with those cheap modifiers looks just hilarious :) Thank you for video !

[@terrywbreedlove]

Shooting outdoors I like umbrellas for the easy transport and set up. I use a beauty dish as well for a more directed light.

[@kenkho]

what a cheerful model! like it! :)

[@SyntheticFuture]

I needed something to diffuse my video light. Happened to have a spare umbrella I hardly used when I did photography. Popped it on, works great. Free background lighting =D

[@chiefvon3068]

I need someone as lively as Steph in my life.

[@kirillch]

Thank you 💚. So what shoots do you personally like more - with what diffuser?

[@davebrown3117]

I have 2 umbrellas that are shoot through and they also have a reflective cover that goes on "top" with a silver side on the inside so you can use it as a reflector. I.e. the umbrella and flash are pointed the opposite way compared to shoot through set up. Seems to be similar to a soft box effect from my limited tests in my house. Adjusting the flash zoom makes a difference whether using shoot through/reflector umbrellas or with my small soft boxes. My soft boxes are smaller than my umbrellas, I use them when I load up my camera stuff onto my bike as umbrellas are bulky and usually catch the wind when I am outdoors in the bush. Unlike Matt, I have little patience for manual mode for exposure or flash, I generally use Aperture mode with exposure compensation and similar for flash when I am out and about. I also use the camera menu to set the flash settings I need as much as possible. It's a personal preference, it works for me. Matt, if you read this, can you set up an umbrella in a reflector situation and video it like you did with this one?

[@emilioramos8282]

Very well put together, very informative

[@cadmus777]

Umbrella softboxes are the new hybrid that was inevitable. I love my 120cm, but you definitely need a setup like my Godox (or most others really), where I can control the output from the controller on the camera shoe, as the flash is inside the umbrella and not exactly accessible...

[@nmelcam1]

OMG she is such a beautiful person in all regards. Looks...great, haircut...awesome, personality...excellent, funniness...so freakin' funny. :-) plus Matt's videos are somewhat good LOL hahahaha joking, great video Matt LOL

[@nairbyad7188]

i stayed technical in my comment, but you said what we all thought!

[@nmelcam1]

@@fredriksvard2603 Creep why? I was not inappropriate in any way, just complementing Steph as always she is great. If you think that is creepy, you should get a psych eval. You saying that I am a creep for a proper comment is actually offensive and inappropriate.

[@niclasbagenheim7181]

I use a octagonal softbox for most of my outdoor shoots. Sometimes the umbrellas comes to use, but I have still to break one. Do you use them differently in some way?

[@RealRaynedance]

I don't even use off-camera flash right now because honestly, I like the look of an on-camera one pointed behind and above me. Makes it look like there's just one ceiling-sized softbox being used. Does it look creative? No. Not really. But it still looks fine to me and it's the closest mimicry of natural light that I have.

[@GeneWaddle]

if it looks good to you, that's what matters. 👍

[@RealRaynedance]

@@GeneWaddle Admittedly there _have_ been times where I didn't care for the color a wall gave off or I've wished that a background could be darker, but other than that I've been happy with how it looks.

[@jasonbodden8816]

@@RealRaynedance At that point, if the walls are not white or a neutral grey or something, there are on camera flash modifiers you can use to help you with that (Flashbender, bounce cards, small on-camera flash softboxes).

[@MichaelBlackIsMe]

Thumbs up to Steph and her new hair cut. P.S. My wife said it was a shame that we missed you Vegas, we were only an hour away but didn't know you were going to be there. I guess I've watched enough of your videos that even she is saying she'd like to meet you one day.😂

[@anison1111]

Simple and rich info Matt - thanks tons

[@kennyrc51]

Excellent video as always!! Great new look Steph!!!!

[@one4allall4one91]

Steph looks better than ever.

[@artv4nd3l4y]

This is a great video, lot of knowledge behind this but still great for beginners, thank you.

[@mattgranger]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@XTJ7]

15:50 was definitely an adorable hulk attempt.

[@derryk1]

Good basic info and Steph's youthful energy can't be beat, make a old geezer's dull day bright. If only I was 20 years younger.....criggy.

[@starlight7830]

first ,,,, Now that the Leica S3 is announced,,, I can't wait till you do a review !

[@mattgranger]

I am looking forward to it too

[@stephengatley8144]

@@mattgranger I would love some APSC & FF comparisons on that one please 100-1600 ISO would be awesome?

[@nairbyad7188]

Very helpful, Matt! Although i've been shooting decades, mostly a hobby, i just got serious about studio portraiture. Great timing for this video! it appears that my big reflector umbrella performs more like a softbox than a diffuser umbrella. right? i just added a softbox identical to yours, hadn't yet seen the difference they project on the background. TTL was ok for 1 flash in my umbrella, but upon adding a 2nd & 3rd , i realized that multi channel TTL is far from perfect and why everyone uses manual for everything! i wish every subject of mine was as lively as your partner!, Steph!

[@gregorysargeant6305]

Great video, great chemistry, and I thought Tina was irreplaceable.

[@rhowell5]

What happened to Tina? Does she have her own KZbin channel?

[@mattgranger]

Tina just hit 3 million subscribers :) kzbin.info

[@GeneWaddle]

And Tina lives on the other side of the planet from Matt. 🙂

[@fahimsaleh2014]

really i like the photographer and the model also she is cool, thank you bro for this explanation

[@fatihyasinsonduren]

i am watching your videos for step she has wonderful and wonderful energy

[@jer3006]

Nice presentation and very helpful, thank you. Sorry to note typos in all images from 11:53 - 13:59 the settings all say "Umbrella 1/4th power" but should be Softbox 1/12th power.

[@RS-Amsterdam]

The boundaries of using the umbrella is not the umbrella itself, but the way one uses it. First of all make sure you get an umbrella that wil will also have a black cover so you can use it to shine the the light inside the umbrella and bounce back, that will give you more control Then the angle of use, higher and more on top of her so almost no spill with hit the BG. Make sure she is standing om a white floor or put something that reflects the light back to her body (face) underneath her face, think of a sort of clamshell light. Don't teach people the obvious, experiment with what you have, improvise, that's where the better photographer distinguishes themselves from the rest !

[@staLkerhu]

How about reflective umbrellas? A diffuser is often optional for those. Is it any good to combine the strength of both groups?

[@delukxy]

I like the hair, looks good Steff. All of the extra resolution does accentuate the make-up which to me is less than flattering. Yes I'm watching in 4k on a 4k monitor so that can bring out the best and the worst of everything.

[@iainmccallum5535]

Cheers for this explanation, it's much appreciated.

[@DsRockGuitar]

Nice video... If possible I`d like to know the difference between a octabox and a deep octabox. May you help with that? Thanks

[@adrianalfordphotography]

Great video Matt top work 👍🙏

[@mohdnorhalimzainudin7740]

I want more loki content! Edit: I like umbrellas, if they dont break so easily. but, i do favour a reflector umbrella + cover over a translucent one. the only minus for that is the inability to use a grid.

[@raydunn3501]

Re: Steph Ive always loved long hair on girls best,,, Steph's such a beautiful lady anyway ,,, but I must say she really dose suit her new hairstyle,,, (and that's without being bias) Rock on Steph

[@souvikroy5831]

I work with umbrella's it works farely good results.

[@frankxu5671]

More videos with Steph please!!!!

[@kh1188ish]

Hi Matt, Great as always. Suggestion... do one on unusual modifiers, like strip boxes, soft box with grid, large scrim, v-flat.

[@SikesPhotography]

This was nice! Cute outfit, Steph!

[@shashinkan99]

2020 still so pretty

[@Camrographer]

I don't have a studio but if I did would it be best to leave all the lighting modifiers setup to preserve their longevity?

[@thickerthanasnicker3153]

Wow glad this video was recommended to me ❤

[@bigdograynavarette]

great work ...but I have to disagree about the umbrella having such a short life span I've had the same godox umbrella for 5 years and I also have a few of the godox soft boxes .. love the model she's beautiful and a great sense or humor ...

[@Bob-Horse]

Do you ever use a light meter or just shoot and adjust as here?

[@FogartysCove]

Hi Matt, Thanks for the video. I've been using umbrellas for a while and have recently been looking into getting a couple softboxes and bowens mounts for my speedlights (the reason for the bowen mount being that I'm an amateur, so I try to think far ahead with my spending and I'm pretty sure I will want to get some studio lights at some point), so it was great to hear your thoughts on the difference between them. I've a question that's been nagging me for some time now. I remember you recommending Yongnuo flashes, but I haven't seen you using them for some time. Was there some big reason for the change or did you just want to try something different? Cheers!

[@Kennyk77]

Can we get Steph to come to Juneau, Alaska? Would love to photograph her up here with the beautiful scenery! Wait for a few more days as we are having snow/rain, wind right now. Sun is supposed to come out in a few days! Always liked Tina, but Steph has taken over! :)

[@barrypack4599]

Nice video, great haircut!

[@mariovillada9354]

Dumb question. On the first photos with softbox. Steph was overexposed. Would it be the reason that the light does not spill as much as with the umbrella? Also, no biggie but the photos with the softbox were incorrectly labeled as umbrella.

[@NewMoon57]

Hi, Matt, Thanks for your perspective on light modifiers. I would have included using the umbrella as a reflected light setup as well . But I have a question about a additional type of umbrella. Adorama sells the Glow Parabolic fiberglass umbrella now. I find the light really nice. It has a black outside cover so the back spill is negligible. I shoot actor head and group photography. How about covering these soon. There is not much on KZbin about these modifiers and I have suggested to the company that they really need more coverage on them. Thanks, Matt.

[@billmcfadden4791]

A neighbor shoots with 60 inch umbeella as shoot thru and curtains to further diffuse the light and what appears to be 24 inch square soft box,

[@diryasali2792]

What about the honeycombs and the diffuser on top of the flash and other cheap diffusing tools

[@Bob-Horse]

Kick ass Steph! Like the new hair style, it really suits you!

[@ManlyHK1]

What about silver lining umbrellas that faces the other way? They have the same softening effect as the white one?

[@mattgranger]

No they have a harder and metallic look.

[@jnx4803]

Steph is such a goofball

[@Lordred1069]

BTW I like the strap you have in your camera, who is?

[@xahldera]

Favourite modifier at the moment is either a small softbox on the flash itself or just old fashion bounce of a ceiling if it's low enough.

[@McCurryChickenWing]

"Steph sells"... She really makes your Videos even more entertaining! ;-) I'm in the process of learning off camera flash and will start with your lesson to see the difference. I'd be cool to see how you'd use a second light/rim light and a grid.

[@EduardodeRegules]

Great video 👍 funny and candid :)

[@billmcfadden4791]

I want to see Steph with a ight saber, lol. I prefer beauty dish, soft box, grids, snoots, parabolic reflector with grid and gels, strip boxes, not a fan of umbrellas and rectangular soft box or large octabox

[@cac2244]

Steph is just gorgeous regardless of haircut.

[@jaymeeeugenio5983]

Where can we buy that kind of box? And how much?

[@shawnvine4918]

Liked the video. I appreciate the explanations on the two different light options. Nice haircut, Steph. Not a day over 18. Oh, and are the zipper pockets on those pants even remotely practical? Just curious.

[@johndonaldson5126]

Thanks. Very Helpfull

[@jaspreetsinghbatra]

she is a real entertainer.

[@romiemiller7876]

You can always extend the background in Photoshop.

[@timwest4942]

Why not do a video on the different shaped spftboxes and when to use them

[@Robert-ug5hx]

Loki the cat loves his dad.

[@xar1fx]

Very informative. And she is terribly cute :)

[@christophera.turner3394]

Steph is so wonderful

[@mattgranger]

Agree!

[@zwehtet7107]

Which is better?

[@tophercoy8471]

Why do you place the soft box so low? I was taught that with a softbox that small, the bottom of the box should be nearly at the models shoulder, which places the center of the light at about 10 oclock. Otherwise you're lighting her face from below, causing the "ghoul" effect. Sort of like lighting your flash with a flashlight placed under your chin.

[@mattgranger]

You learned right. Place it to put the light where you want it. I did that here

[@windwaker0rules]

call me amateur but i didnt mind the hard light in this example because the clothes she is wearing also has a dynamic shading which makes it symmetrical with the hard light

[@mattgranger]

Not about professional vs amateur - photography is about creating the results YOU like. So go with the hard light in this situation.

[@D-Grows]

It pains me that you didn't use the s bracket for the umbrella and have the speedlight firing closer to the center of the umbrella. You may have reduced or eliminated that top leak from the umbrella and the s bracket is much safer for crashes to the ground which will happen with umbrellas as you noted.