Softbox size for portraits

<p>I need help deciding the better octagonal softbox size for portrait photography.<br>

4 ft (120cm) or 5 ft (150cm)?<br>

Are there reasons for the 4 ft over a 5 ft?<br>

Which is the standard/defaut size?</p>

<p>This will be for family portrait photography (mostly kids). Home studio. Bowens 400.<br>

Thanks. Jake</p>

<p>larger soft box softer light. You can also keep the light farther away from subject when it is larger. For the most part 4ft vs 5ft I don't think you will notice much a difference especially if you are budget conscience.</p>

<p>Jake, I hope the Bowens 400 you mention isn't the old metal canned version, because I'd be more worried about using that than by what size softbox to fit to it!</p>

<p>To your original question. A 4ft square softbox is more than big enough for almost any domestic setting, especially if it's a design with a deep body. A 5ft square box will seem monster unless you have quite a big studio. As a rule of thumb, you want a softbox to be no further from the subject than its diagonal, which means about 6ft away for a 4x4ft box and 7ft for a 5x5ft box. 6ft is usually plenty of working distance for single person portraits or tight groups of two or three. OTOH, the only consideration affecting how close you place the softbox is fall off and whether it gets in the way of your shot.</p>

<p>Thanks for the responses...<br>

I hope I have the newer Bowens 400 since I bought it a few weeks ago. <br>

This made me rethink going with a octagonal/square shape vs rectangle shape. A rectangle would be a foot more narrow, and provide more room in my studio. My studio room is approximately 10x10 ft. A 5ft octagon would take up half the room! I've been told octagagons for people, rectangles for things; the difference is the catch lights. ...But the shopping mall portrait studios use rectangles. The photos are still portraits (not fashion or activity), so the octagon shape vs the room size is probably not going to be an issue. I'm also guessing the octagon/square shape will be better for 2+ people than rectangle since there's more light going out towards the sides.</p>

My standby because it is the most versatile is a rectangular Medium Chimera SuperPRO.

Also look at the shallow Chimera SuperPRO and the Plume Wafer 100 or 200.

<p>I'm with Ellis, rectangular Medium Chimera Super Pro 3'x4' is my first choice.</p>

<p>For a round modifier I use a 22" beauty dish the 3,5 and 7'octas for head shots it depends what shadow edge transfer you like. The 3" in tight is a bit more contrasty and harder as is the bd. You can maximize wrap by pulling the back edge of the octa even or slightly ahead of the subject and on a 5 feathering it off the back edge getting a full 5 feet of wrap instead of 2.5 feet if the center is aimed at the subject. I like that also as it puts the main beam nearly parallel with the background and helps keep light off the bg shooting in tight spaces. Doing the same with an on nose fill with an egg crate helps as well, whether nose is on camera axis and box is feathered up using the forward edge as fill putting the main beam also off the bg. I agree the 5' is on the large size, but you can pull it back for the hardness of the 3. For headshots, I like the subject seated, often with a posing table. The 5' will fit at 45 degrees in a 9 foot ceiling. In my studio, I often seat them on an apple box if I need height for a bigger box. A 5 is small enough to use outdoors in light wind. It would be the first octa I would buy with a grid, then the beauty dish, then the 3' for clam shell each in either position. You might consider a Wescot 3' that opens like an umbrella and can be used with a speedlight for quick and dirty outside shots. Interesting exercise is setting up all 3 so from the subject position they all appear the same size one behind the other. Remember, it's relative size of the modifier to the subject that controls shadow edge transfer. I also agree with Brooks, it you are going rectangular, a 3x4 horizontally gives you 4 feet of wrap on headshots and vertically can be used as a kicker especially if it has a decent lip allowing control of the highlight edge positioning. It would be my first box before the octas. After that then the 5 and bd. </p>

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