Large Umbrella (7' vs 5')

Prefrosh01

Senior Member
I have really started to get into using flashes in more of my work. I recently watched a course that used a large umbrella (7' diameter) for a number of shots and it produced beautiful results.

I know a 7' umbrella is massive and you would need a lot of space to use it. I'm thinking that it would not really be practical outside of a studio environment. I found some 5' umbrellas and was curious if anyone here has used them and what your experiences were with them.

I currently have two 40" umbrellas and a 31" x 31" softbox.

Thanks in advance!
Matt
 

Prefrosh01

Senior Member
Fred,

From the course I watched they were claiming that with an umbrella that size, you would be able to get soft, even light, for a full length portrait or use it to light a few people.

That is the main reason I was contemplating this accessory.

Thanks,
Matt
 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
Okay, gotcha... You might find that the umbrella will be the least expensive part of that equation... :)

Driving enough light thru a 5' to 7' umbrella to fully light multiple people in full standup poses might be more than your speedlights can handle... :)

Keep us posted on what you do and its outcome...
 

cwgrizz

Senior Member
Challenge Team
There are "Parachute" shaped umbrellas that are oblong shaped so they can fit in smaller areas but still work similar to round umbrellas. I have never used them, but just saw an ad for them on Adorama or B&H. Not sure which one, but might be another option. I'll look and see if I can find them and post the link.
 

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Matt, what did they use in the course to light the 7' umbrella? Did they just use one flash? Or maybe something a little more powerful such as a Godox AD200 or possibly a strobe? My concern would be the flash repeatedly firing at full power especially if the shots are in quick succession. You wouldn't want to overheat it.
 

Prefrosh01

Senior Member
Matt, what did they use in the course to light the 7' umbrella? Did they just use one flash? Or maybe something a little more powerful such as a Godox AD200 or possibly a strobe? My concern would be the flash repeatedly firing at full power especially if the shots are in quick succession. You wouldn't want to overheat it.

Cindy,

The course was a Creative Live class by Mike Hagen. He used a single speedlight (Nikon, not sure what model though), with Sto-Fen diffuser.

It was a good course; I learned a lot and it has inspired me to try some new ideas...now all I need to do is find the time to put them into action!

Thanks,
Matt
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
I have really started to get into using flashes in more of my work. I recently watched a course that used a large umbrella (7' diameter) for a number of shots and it produced beautiful results.

I know a 7' umbrella is massive and you would need a lot of space to use it. I'm thinking that it would not really be practical outside of a studio environment. I found some 5' umbrellas and was curious if anyone here has used them and what your experiences were with them.

I currently have two 40" umbrellas and a 31" x 31" softbox.

Thanks in advance!
Matt
Without having watched the course I can see how a modifier that large could be used effectively with a small light source such as a speed-light but the main drawback, as I see it, would be that I would still be working with a single light source, firing from a single direction. Great diffusion, no doubt, from a mod that size but I think it might be more convenient to use two or three more reasonably sized modifiers. Doing so would allow much, much more flexibility in how I can set up my overall lighting since I would be able to control the intensity and direction of light, both vertically and horizontally, from multiple locations.

Not too mention I can't even imagine how unwieldy a 7' umbrella would be on an outdoor location. I'd want some fifty-pound sand bags to keep that sucker from toppling over because that bad boy is going suck up wind like... Well... Like a 7' sail.
 
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hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
....Not too mention I can't even imagine how unwieldy a 7' umbrella would be on an outdoor location. I'd want some fifty-pound sand bags to keep that sucker from toppling over because that bad boy is going suck up wind like... Well... Like a 7' sail.

I envisioned him hang-gliding with his umbrella and stand! ;)
 
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