A soft box is a powerful lighting modifier. It allows a large amount of light to be cast with very few shadows. The size of the coverage area will depend on the size of the soft box. For small product or head shots, smaller soft boxes will suffice. For larger products or full-body portraits, larger soft boxes are needed. A soft box requires a more powerful light source than direct or umbrella lighting.
Single Light Soft Box Techniques
A single soft box will provide beautiful, even light. Placing the soft box to one side of the subject will result in interesting shadows on the opposite side with smooth, even light falling on the lit side. Reflectors can take the place of a fill light. A reflector can be anything from a commercial photographic reflector to a piece of white cloth or even a large piece of white plastic foam.
Two Light Soft Box Techniques
Putting two lights, one on either side of the subject at approximately a 45-degree angle, will give very smooth, even lighting. Altering the distance and angle of the two lights, as well as the intensity, can help bring out details in shading and shadow.
For head shots, another technique that works well is the "clamshell" arrangement. In a clamshell setup, one light is placed in front of and above the face of the subject. A second light is placed in front of and below the subject. The resulting light can be adjusted to help remove shadows around the lips and under the eyes and is sometimes called "beauty lighting."
Multiple Soft Boxes
In some cases, a two light soft box setup can be augmented with one or more additional soft boxes. Adding a small softbox above and behind the subject works well as a hair light. In some cases, one or two soft boxes can be added to separate the subject visually from the background. As you work with more soft boxes, be sure to regularly test the setup and estimate ratios of light between the different sources.
Tags: soft boxes, even light, head shots, light placed, light placed front, Light Soft, Light Soft Techniques
