As photographers, we have a huge selection of modifiers at our disposal. Some of the more traditional ones such as a softbox or a scrim may seem somewhat dull, but they both offer very different and useful qualities of light when used correctly.
Choice paralysis is a very real thing when it comes to lighting modifiers; not only are there many different brands and types, but within each type, there are also many different sizes! Although I own a plethora of modifiers for my commercial work, when it comes to my personal taste, I have limited it to just three items: a softbox, spill kill, and scrim or a soft light (kind of like a beauty dish had a love affair with a scrim, but they don't make these anymore).
In this video I compare a standard 80x120 Godox softbox to a bare bulb and also Broncolor P65 reflector on a studio head through a scrim and then to a Broncolor Hazylight 2. I used the same pack and head for all of the images and set the white balance of the camera to a constant so that any changes in colors were caused by the modifiers.
I then go on to talk about the different ways in which you can use each of these modifiers and how and when I would personally deploy each one. The great thing about photography, though, is that there are no right and wrong answers; it is just a case of working out how to make your image look the way you want it to look.
What are your go-to modifiers ?
This is awesome! Great video.
For tabletop product that’s kind of shiny, or if I need to use gels to have multiple sources and a “dirty” looking key light to emulate natty light, I’ll use a scrim.
About the only times I use a soft box anymore are portraits, and even then I prefer my Profoto Giant 150 or 210, or I’m using a strip through a scrim or trace to get smooth reflections on the sides of product. Like bottles or jars.