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Outdoor portrait photography with a soft box

Portraits of a model with (right) and without (left) soft box lighting

A Soft box is a type of photographic lighting device, one of a number of photographic soft light devices. All the various soft light types create even and diffused light^[1] by directing light through some diffusing material, or by "bouncing" light off a second surface to diffuse the light. The best known form of bouncing source is the umbrella light where the light from the bulb is bounced off the inside of a metalized umbrella to create a soft indirect light.

A "soft box" is an enclosure around a bulb comprising reflective side and back walls and a diffusing material at the front of the light.

The sides and back of the box are lined with a bright surface - an aluminized fabric surface or an aluminum foil, to act as an efficient reflector. In some commercially available models the diffuser is removable to allow the light to be used alone as a floodlight or with an umbrella reflector.

A soft box can be used with either flash or continuous light sources such as fluorescent lamps or "hot lights" such as quartz halogen bulbs or tungsten bulbs. If soft box lights are used with "hot" light sources, the user must be sure the soft box is heat rated for the wattage of the light it is attached to in order to avoid fire hazard.

See also[link]

• Striplight
• Reflector (photography)
• Beauty Dish

References[link]

1. ^ Brooks, David. How to Control and Use Photographic Lighting. HPBooks, 1980, p. 54. ISBN 978-0-89586-059-0

External links[link]

• DIY Softbox Homemade DO it yourselves softbox project with instructions and pictures.
• DIY Softbox
• 2x4 DIY Softbox
• Example Photos of Catchlights formed by various shapes of Softboxes

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