Flash Modifiers Quiz

A softbox puts a diffusion panel in front of the light, turning a small, hard source into a large, even one. The larger source lights the subject from many angles, which softens shadow edges and lowers contrast. It does not change the color of the light.

Softness depends on the source's size as seen from the subject. A large source sends light from many angles, so shadow edges blur into gradual transitions, while a small source, like bare flash or the midday sun, casts crisp shadows. Moving the same light closer makes it relatively larger and softer.

A grid is a fabric honeycomb fitted over the front of a softbox. It stops light from leaving at wide angles, so the beam goes forward in a narrower path and spills less onto the background. The light stays fairly soft but becomes easier to aim.

A shoot-through umbrella diffuses light across its entire surface before it reaches the subject, but because the back of the umbrella is open, light also spills outward in all directions. This produces soft, broad illumination with little control over where light falls beyond the intended subject.

A beauty dish is a wide reflector with a small deflector in its center. Light bounces off the dish, giving punchier contrast and crisper detail than a softbox, with shadow edges that still fall off smoothly. It sits between hard and soft light and is popular for beauty and fashion portraits.

A snoot is a tube or cone over the light that narrows the beam into a small, round spot. It puts light only where it is aimed, such as a single highlight on a face or a pool of light on the background. It is the opposite of lighting a room evenly.

A gobo, short for goes before optics, is a cutout or pattern placed between the light and the subject. The light casts its shape as a shadow, such as window blinds or leaves. It does not go on the camera lens.

A bounce card is a small white card attached to a flash pointed upward. Most of the light bounces off the ceiling for soft overall light, while the card kicks a little light forward to fill eye sockets and add catchlights. It does not block or absorb the flash.

A gel is a thin sheet of colored plastic placed over a light. It changes the light's color, either to correct it, such as matching flash to tungsten, or for effect, like a colored background. Gels do not diffuse light.

Feathering turns a light so the edge of its beam, not its center, falls on the subject. The light is softer and dimmer near the edge, which can smooth skin highlights and even out light across a scene. It is a matter of aiming, not of changing power or distance.