Where you invest your money as a professional photographer is one of the most important decisions you can make, and as such, it is something worth of careful consideration to ensure you are not wasting your money on unneeded gimmicks. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced pro sharing what he invests in to ensure he can do his job easily and deliver the best possible images.
Coming to you from Scott Choucino of Tin House Studio, this great video tutorial discusses some of the best places for professional photographers to reinvest money in their business. One where I definitely agree with Choucino is lenses over camera bodies. That is not to say that you should not have a capable camera that will cover all your needs in your hands, but most pros prioritize glass over the latest and greatest bodies, as it generally has a larger impact on image quality. This is particularly true in a time when most modern cameras are capable of producing top-notch image quality, so long as they are paired with the right lens. Given the choice between an older camera with a great lens or a new camera with a mediocre lens, I would choose the former 10 times out of 10.
Check out the video above for the full rundown from Choucino.
Does the soft lighter have another name? All I can find are shallow beauty dishes :(
And Pooh stinky, the hazy light is discontinued
Mola-light makes two reflectors that while not as deep as the Bron soft light reflector, do give a similar effect. They are the Euro and the Setti. They are expensive . . . starting at about 600-700 usd and going up very quickly. Equipped with ring and case, you are definitely looking at 1000+ usd
The Broncolor hazylight (which was never actually made by Bron) is still made, and Scott hints at it in his video. Specialist heads for the top makes, Bron and Profoto, were in the past made by Bacht in Germany (www.bacht.net). They still exist, and they offer some exceptional custom equipment . . . but before you look, sell everything you own. They are very, very expensive. They can do just about anything for you.
For years I have used a shallow softbox made by Plume (there was a concurrent model line from Bowens . . . they are/were the same product). They produce a beautiful very soft light and have a nice shallow profile. Chimera came out with a shallow box, but it had nowhere near the evenness across the front diffuser that Plume/Bowens do. The Plume/Bowens achieved a broad even dispersion by an internal diffuser that was a plastic sheet covered in tiny lenslike bits . . . which made a perfect light . . . even from edge to edge. There are two diffusers so you can vary the falloff. Combined with using the box with various configurations, you end up with a wonderful softlight that does so much more than the usual banks do.
I thought I would go in an rip this article to shreds, but then I looked at the last things I have bought. Tether tools USB-C cable (Which doesn't work with my laptop but does work with my PC), Several light modifiers and before that the Zeiss APO Sonnar 135mm f/2.