Do you want to reduce harsh shadows and create photos with beautiful lighting that looks natural but isn’t? Softbox lighting is great for shooting portraits, products, and other interior scenes where the natural light is lacking. It’s one of the easiest lighting setups to use, and you can even DIY your own softbox for an affordable lighting option.
A softbox is a light modifier that diffuses light so that it is soft and appears natural, almost like window light. It is comprised of a sheer fabric cloth wrapped around a box that encloses the light source. Most softboxes are mounted on a stand. The light is then directed at the subject of your photos so that it is evenly distributed. The larger the softbox, the broader the area it can cover.
Small softboxes are great because they are very portable, but the shadows are harsher and more well-defined than light from large lighting softboxes. Generally speaking, you want your softbox light to be larger than the item you are photographing.
While you don’t need a lighting softbox for iPhone photography, it can be extremely useful for certain types of photos. If you find yourself shooting a lot of portraits, flat lays, food, or products, a softbox is a great investment.
You can use your softbox lights for any photography project where you want soft, diffused lighting. Once you get used to your softbox setup, you’ll want to use it for all types of indoor photography.
Where you position your softbox lighting will require some experimentation on your part. It also depends on what you are photographing. For a portrait, raise the softbox so that the middle is positioned just above your subject’s eyes and tilt it downward at a 45-degree angle.
When shooting products or flat lays, you can try positioning two softbox lights on either side and above the product, pointing downward at a slight angle. If you only have one softbox, try a direct overhead placement or lighting your product from the side while you shoot from the front. These are just a few of your softbox placement options. The more you play around with them, the more you will start to understand the properties of light and what works for your situation.
Soft, natural lighting isn’t easy to achieve in a studio or home setting, which is exactly why a softbox can be so useful. Use it any time you want to soften up shadows and highlights within your image. Portable softboxes can also be used outdoors to complement natural lighting.
Before you invest in a lighting softbox setup, you can familiarize yourself with softbox lighting by making your own. You can get as complicated as you like, but all you really need are some simple materials that you probably already have at home.
In a pinch and need to add some soft lighting without a softbox? You can use your iPhone for a bit of soft spotlighting, provided you don’t need to use it as your camera. This works best for photographing small items, as the light from your iPhone won’t be bright enough to illuminate a large scene.
Screen Light Color is a simple iOS app that turns your iPhone into a simple light panel with no on-screen distractions. Here’s how easy it is to make a small, portable softbox with your iPhone. You can also use this app with an iPad, so you can use your phone to take the photo.
You can also build a DIY softbox from a cardboard box and a light source — either a hot shoe flash or a portable light fixture. Here’s what you’ll need:
Here are the steps to creating your DIY softbox:
Softbox lights are great all-around lights for all kinds of indoor photography projects. And if you are new to using artificial lights in photography, using a softbox is a great place to begin. But if you’re mostly using your iPhone for selfies and a softbox sounds like overkill, try a selfie ring light for a similar effect.