Traveling Lighting Kit
In my traveling lighting kit I have both the 24” x 24” and 30” x 30” Lastolite Ezybox softboxes. “So what's the difference?” I'm often asked. “6 inches” is usually too trite an answer, “324 square inches” is usually too involved. Of course, the real key lies in the quality of the light you can obtain from each.
Take a look at the two images below. The image on the top was taken with the 24”x24” Ezybox, the image on the bottom with the 30” x 30” Ezybox. Both were lit by a single Canon Speedlite 580EXII zoomed to 24mm and through 3 levels of diffusion, a Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce on the Speedlite head and the two layers of diffusion fabric in the Ezyboxes. Both shots were ETTL with the camera on manual, 1/250s at f4.5.
You'll see that the light in the image on the top appears a little harder while the light in the image on the bottom appears a little softer. Since ETTL was used for both images, the flash output may not have been the same, though with ETTL, the flash output would have been stopped by the camera when the exposure was deemed correct by the camera.
If I had had the 15” x 15” Ezybox, the contrast with the 30” x 30” would have been even more marked.
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Larger light source = softer light
Generally, the larger the light source relative to the subject, the softer the light falling on the subject and the more that soft light wraps around the subject. Keeping the subject two feet from the Ezybox in each photo, the light source in the image on the bottom is 77% bigger than the light source in the image on the top. You'll notice also, if you look at the back of the shirt, how the light from the 30″ x 30″ softbox has wrapped around the subject more than the light from the 24″ x 24″ softbox. Although both images are lit by a single speedlite, the size of the light falling on the subject is determined by the area of the front of the softbox, not the size of the flash head. So for softer light, go for a bigger softbox and place it as close to your subject as you can.
I started out with the 24” x 24” Ezybox and only added the 30” x 30” to my lighting kit later. For anyone just starting out on the small flash road, I'd recommend the same approach. I personally don't have the 15″ x 15″ Ezybox. The lightstand I used for these images was an Impact 3218. While I'll often use one of my Manfrotto stacking stands, the Impact 3218 is lightweight 13 foot stand and has a boom arm which gives you far more flexibility in light placement, yet is sturdy enough to hold the speedlite and Ezybox combination. But if you're going to extend the boom horizontally you should also invest in one or more sandbags to counterweight it to prevent it falling over!
Please note that not all Lastolite Ezyboxes are compatible with small flash so check before you order.
For these particular images I again used the OCF33 cord to trigger my off-camera flash. If you're a Canonista just staring out or on a small budget, I highly recommend the OCF33 to help you get your flash off you camera and it's a lot cheaper than buying another speedlite to act as a master and eliminates potential triggering problems if your slave flash can't see the signal from your master flash.
Below is a sketch of the layout for this shot.
Production Data:
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS US
Speedlite: Canon Speedlite 580EX II
Speedlite modifier: Sto-Fen #OM-EY Omni-Bounce
Speedlite modifier: Lastolite EZYBox Softbox – 24″ x 24″Lastolite Ezybox Hot Shoe Mark II Bracket
Speedlite modifier: Lastolite Hot Shoe EZYBOX Softbox Kit-30″ x 30″
Light Stand: Impact Multiboom Light Stand/Reflector Holder – 13′ (4m)
Background: Westcott 5×6′ Collapsible 2-in-1 Muslin Background – Black/White
Background Stand: Westcott Background Stand for Illuminator
Off camera flash cord: OCF33
