Recommend light defuser for speedlight

[thekillergazebo]

Do you guys have any recommendations for a soft box or umbrella for a yongnuo yn560 iv.

[ALwin]

Look at the ones sponsored by Gary Fong.

 

Otherwise, eBay, Amazon, etc. have some pretty small softboxes for speedlights (around 12x12) and as for umbrellas, any will work as long as you have the proper mounting kit.

 

Some examples:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1194585-REG/lastolite_ll_ls2430_ezybox_speed_lite_2.html

 

 

https://www.garyfong.com

 

 

With an umbrella you also need a mounting bracking for a speedlight

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/362385-REG/Impact_S3233_White_Translucent_Umbrella_33.html

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/656152-REG/Impact_9101880_Umbrella_Bracket_with_Adjustable.html/pageID/accessory

 

[Evanair]

Are you look for studio or portable setup?

[thekillergazebo]

I was thinking of using it more for studio as an off camera flash. I thought I would need something larger then a 12x12. But at that point I'm not sure if I'm getting into the point where I need a strobe or something.

[thekillergazebo]

Would something like this be good for good to use for indoor shots with a speedlight? Or is it to large for a speedlight.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008BQ233C/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1466528739&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=speedlight+softbox&dpPl=1&dpID=416D-%2By1xmL&ref=plSrch

[ALwin]

9 minutes ago, thekillergazebo said:

I was thinking of using it more for studio as an off camera flash. I thought I would need something larger then a 12x12. But at that point I'm not sure if I'm getting into the point where I need a strobe or something.

You can go up to a 24x24 using a single speedlight, however a speedlight doesn't have the power of a proper studio strobe.  So any larger would not really be recommended.  If you want to use a larger softbox, for example, you need multiple speedlights or a studio strobe.

[ALwin]

7 minutes ago, thekillergazebo said:

Would something like this be good for good to use for indoor shots with a speedlight? Or is it to large for a speedlight.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008BQ233C/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1466528739&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=speedlight+softbox&dpPl=1&dpID=416D-%2By1xmL&ref=plSrch

This would be the maximum size I would recommend for use with a single speedlight.

 

Have you also considered bouncing the light from the flash off walls and ceilings?  Even a white bed sheet spread across a frame can act as a diffuser or reflector.

[thekillergazebo]

56 minutes ago, ALwin said:

This would be the maximum size I would recommend for use with a single speedlight.

 

Have you also considered bouncing the light from the flash off walls and ceilings?  Even a white bed sheet spread across a frame can act as a diffuser or reflector.

To be honest I've never worked with flashes yet. I only use natural light. But I have friends who have asked me to do some portrait shots and some of the shots I'm planning would be almost full body. So Im not sure if something like a flash could be used for such a large area of a person. 

[ALwin]

34 minutes ago, thekillergazebo said:

To be honest I've never worked with flashes yet. I only use natural light. But I have friends who have asked me to do some portrait shots and some of the shots I'm planning would be almost full body. So Im not sure if something like a flash could be used for such a large area of a person. 

It can be used, however before investing in a softbox or umbrella perhaps you should try practicing with the flash and bounce technique.  I also assume you only have one flash unit?  If you want to use it for a studio setting with diffusers and reflectors, one is not enough.

[thekillergazebo]

6 minutes ago, ALwin said:

It can be used, however before investing in a softbox or umbrella perhaps you should try practicing with the flash and bounce technique.  I also assume you only have one flash unit?  If you want to use it for a studio setting with diffusers and reflectors, one is not enough.

Yeah I have one off camera flash with the remote. How many flashes would you recommend? Or would you go with something totally different?

[ALwin]

12 minutes ago, thekillergazebo said:

Yeah I have one off camera flash with the remote. How many flashes would you recommend? Or would you go with something totally different?

Depends on what kind of lighting effect you are looking to use, you can go from two to many more.  Depending on how the room is lit, you can even get away with one flash and one reflector (perhaps reflecting sunlight from windows).

 

I recommend you read this book:

https://www.amazon.com/Sketching-Light-Illustrated-Possibilities-Voices/dp/0321700902/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466593828&sr=8-3&keywords=joe+mcnally

 

 

Addendum:

A few other things when shooting with a flash unit, whether you use manual mode or TTL

1. Shoot RAW.
2. Don't judge the image by the straight out of the camera exposure, other than making sure your highlights are not blown out or the blacks are crushed.
3. See what you can do in post processing.  It can be that when you shoot with a flash and look at the preview on the back of the camera the image looks horrible (not enough contrast, the colors look a bit bland/washed out), however when you finish editing it will look great.