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How to control a 7-foot umbrella modifier and create beautiful ultra-soft light

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What’s the most versatile piece of equipment you own? Aside from something like clips, I’d venture that it could be the umbrellas you have sitting in the back of your closet. It’s pretty usual when we start to learn studio lighting and off camera flash that we start out using umbrellas as modifiers, for a number of reasons. Then you decide to get a bit fancy and they are relegated in favour of things like octoboxes, parabolic softboxes and the like.

But the humble umbrella really can create remarkable portraits. In this video from The Slanted Lens, Jay P. Morgan shows us how he uses giant seven foot umbrellas, and tells us why they are a great modifier.

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Create magical portraits using just one umbrella with these 5 different set ups

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It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with options when you first get started on artificial lighting. There seem to be so many tutorials out there for four or five light setups. But many of us begin shooting with natural light, and often from a single light source (ie. a window). It stands to reason then, that the easiest way to learn to shoot strobes is to begin with just one light.

In this video, photographer Emily Teague shows us five different setups using just one umbrella light. There’s no shame in only using one light if you know what you’re doing to manipulate it. Often the results are incredibly beautiful, and if you’re on location there’s something to be said for bringing less gear with you!

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Glow has launched a new range of windproof lighting umbrellas

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Umbrellas are probably the most common lighting modifier out there for those who work with speedlights or strobes. They’re lightweight, inexpensive and easy to get hold of. But if you want to get out on location, they all have one pretty fatal flaw. It’s the same flaw that affects umbrellas designed to keep the rain off your head, too. That flaw is wind!

Well, no more. Adorama has developed a line of new Glow windproof lighting umbrellas. Taking advantage of the natural reflectivity of aluminium fabrics, the new umbrellas are available in various shallow, deep and wing-style designs in five sizes from 33″ up to 65″ and use an open weave design to let the wind pass straight through them.

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Security stops photographer from taking photos of umbrellas outside a UK mall

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Earlier this week, 150 umbrellas were put up in Culver Square, a shopping mall in Colchester, Essex, UK. Although photos have been all over Instagram and Facebook, one photographer was recently interrupted by security staff when he pointed his camera to the umbrellas. They allegedly told him that taking photos was forbidden and that he should have permission from the management.

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5 ways to use an umbrella for stunning portraits

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The umbrella is one of the most underrated modifiers in photography, I think. It’s one of the first that many of us usually encounter once we start working with speedlights or strobes, and Bowens even used to include umbrellas in their strobe kits.

But we often feel that we “outgrow” them, in favour of softboxes and beauty dishes. This video from photographer Miguel Quiles, however, demonstrates that we shouldn’t be so quick to discount umbrellas. He shows us five ways to use umbrellas to get some pretty amazing results.

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Light modifiers compared: when to use beauty dish, softbox or umbrella

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There are different ways to modify studio lights and adapt them to your shooting needs. In this video, Manny Ortiz compares three popular modifiers: a beauty dish, a softbox, and an umbrella. He uses all three in the studio to show you what to expect from them and how to use them to achieve a nice, flattering light.

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This “hands free umbrella” is either most genius idea ever for shooting in the rain or the dumbest

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Shooting in the rain is a big concern for many photographers. Especially if you live in a country with somewhat unpredictable weather. I’ve shot in the rain plenty of times over the years, but I’m usually using weather sealed equipment that can handle it. In more extreme weather, I’ve even tried some of the DSLR raincoats. Sometimes, though, the raincoat isn’t practical, and I don’t really want to push the limits of that weather sealing.

Now, though, we have another option. The “Nubrella”, a hands-free… well, it says it’s an umbrella, but it’s more a backpack style mobile canopy. It’s a very unusual design, and it likely holds up well to the rigours of rain. But at what cost? How much is your dignity worth to you? Here, let Nubrella founder & CEO, Alan Kaufman, show you how it works.

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Studio portraits: What modifier for what light?

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Santa Claus has you spoiled this year by offering you the studio of your dreams?  A kit of flashes, a backdrop support and even more rolls of paper?  It only remains to push the furniture in your living room out of the way to turn it into studio worthy of the name!

A single point hurts you in spite of all the new material, you do not know what light modifier to choose?

Beauty dish, softbox, stripbox, reflector bowl, umbrellas of all kinds and sizes, flash ring, etc…  It is a bit like choosing a new car, many choices but which really matches my expectations?

No worries, I’d be your dealer today to guide you by showing you the difference in all these modifiers!

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Use A 3D Printed Strobe Mount To Get Your Strobe 89% on Axis

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A few days ago we shared a cool way to mount a strobe to a tree using a 3D printed “dog bone” and a strap. It used a cool housing for the strobe that placed the strobe 100% on axis which was very cool. We actually got some mails about that flash mount from the video so we asked Chris Cameron for the brand.

Chris told us that it was not a bought mount, but that he printed it himself  and he agreed to share the (redesigned and improvbed) file with DIYP readers. YAY!!!

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Comparing 7 Common Light Modifiers

Guest post by Robert Mitchell. Hit the bottom of the post to see his links.

When assembling a lighting kit, it’s very difficult to know which modifiers are best for the type of work you want to do, and sometimes you don’t know or are discovering what you want to shoot. There are reflectors, umbrellas, square and rectangular softboxes, octabanks and a wide variety of accessories to shape and alter the quality of light.

So how do you know what’s best for you?

In many cases you don’t. If you have no experience then you don’t have any preferences formed and most of the tech talk is of no use to you and makes little sense. One person’s preference may not at all be what you like and it may not work within your budget.

I’ve chosen 7 common light modifiers of varying sizes and shapes, and I’m using modifiers that are , for the most part, inexpensive. Nothing very small and nothing terribly large. This is not an in-depth review, nor is it a light modifier showdown.

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