Umbrellas
When it comes to ease of use, lightness and portability, soft but adjustable quality of light, and great value for money, nothing comes close to the humble photographic umbrella. Softboxes and beauty dishes may seem more modern and certainly offer a more controllable output, but they’re not as versatile and—crucially—nowhere near as cheap to replace when damaged as the umbrella.
The damage issue can be a real problem. If you put a big light modifier on top of a lightstand, sooner or later it is going to get knocked down or blown over. Umbrellas give your flashgun some protection from hitting the ground, and when and if they do go down, you can often bend them back into shape.
Using an umbrella is all about making the relative size of ...
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