Beauty Dish Light

If you are a professional photographer,  you might face some difficulties regarding the use of light. If you are a portrait photographer, you are unable to use natural light. You have to use the artificial light available in your studio. For that reason, you will need some accessories like modifiers, and stands. Among the available light modifiers, the beauty dish light is the popular choice of all photographers. Beauty dish light is also perfect for sports and commercial photography. Beauty dishes reflect light, unlike other modifiers. Because other modifiers diffuse light to a great extent to soften the light.

Features of the beauty dish

Beauty dish comes with some unique details to make your photography work seamless and perfect. Some of the unique features are:

1. The parabolic structure: The beauty dish reflects light, unlike the softbox. For that reason, the beauty dish needs many reflective surfaces for even and smooth light required for photography. The parabolic surface ensures the perfect light focus that provides seamless photography.
2. The shape of Light: A beauty dish is capable of creating smooth, soft, and even light from a large reflective surface. The beauty dish produces some concentric rings of light because of the shape of the beauty dish. Whereas the softbox produces a single beam of light.
3. Seamless photography: The nature of the emitted light makes it possible to provide proper focusing of the light at a particular point of the face. The use of shadow and removal of shadow helps a lot to get a perfect and aesthetic photography work.
4. Interior of the beauty dish: The intensity of the light depends on the interior design of the beauty dish. The silver lining of the beauty dish tends to produce a harder and more defined light ring. On the other hand, the beauty dish with a white lining is and to produces softer light. It also provides even and smooth light as the light is dispersed through the whole reflective surface. As a result, shading can be controlled to a great extent. If you want a hard and edgy look, a beauty dish is a perfect choice.

Beauty dish modifiers

The beauty dish is a modifier itself. But there is a provision for modifying this modifier. Some modifiers are :

1. Diffusion panel: The most amazing modifier is a diffusion panel. This diffusion panel is elasticated to get fitted with a beauty dish. The appearance of the diffusion panel is quite similar to socks. The diffusion panel softens the light and creates natural-looking light. The diffusion panel causes sharp and edgy light and creates an aesthetic look because of catches the light in the eyes.
2. Grid: The grid is an amazing tool for artificial lighting for professional photographers. The grid is capable of controlling the light source. The grid is used to soften the light that falls on the face. And also removes the spill of light from the rest of the body. Grid is the first choice of professional photographers to create a glamorous and aesthetic look.
3. Combination of diffusion panel and grid: The combination of the diffusion panel and the grid is the most useful tool to modify the efficiency of a beauty dish. The combination is like a fabric grid on the beauty dish. This combination is capable of controlling the unnecessary flare of the light. Even the combination can diffuse the light according to the requirements. As a result, there will be less chance of wasting the light.

Lighting technique of beauty dish

Artificial lighting is required for portrait and fashion photography. You can pursue a method that is congenial to your work. Some popular techniques are:

1. One light with the beauty dish: The setup containing one light with the beauty dish is a traditional one for portrait shooting. In this setup, the beauty dish is placed over the head of the subject. The beauty dish is placed in such a way that the center of the light is directed toward the forehead of the subject. The position of the beauty dish should be close enough to the subject to produce soft light. Make sure that the catch light is available in the subject’s eye. Place a reflector under the beauty dish. This will allow the lights to reflect on the subject’s face. As a result, unnecessary shadows will be eliminated.

• Two lights with the beauty dish: This setup is a popular choice for portrait shooting. Here, the beauty dish needs to be placed over the head of the subject. There should be a strobe under the beauty dish to control the light output. Never start the shoot if the catch light is not available in the eyes of the subject.
• Using a diffusion panel over the beauty dish:  You can add a diffusion panel over the beauty dish. It will look like a shower cap or a sock. This diffusion panel can soften the light on the face of the subject. It is also able to produce a creamy and soft look. Also, the skin texture will be less prominent.

• Using a grid on the beauty dish:  Using a grid on the beauty dish is a smart way to create some nice looks. The grid can function as a spotlight to focus on the face of the subject. As a result, some attractive effects can be produced. The photographer only needs to pay attention to whether the light is directed toward the subject or not.

• Go for outdoor shooting:  You can choose a beauty dish without any doubt if you are planning an outdoor shoot. The beauty dish is best for outdoor shooting as it is more compact than any other modifier. The light quality will be softer than found on an umbrella. Even there will be less chance of getting influenced by air.

Conclusion

Beauty dish light is a name of relief for professional photographers. Because it will ease your turmoil regarding the lighting arrangement. So, choose the best quality beauty dish for your studio that will keep you away from hazards. As a result, you will be able to shoot some excellent and extraordinary portraits.