Beauty Dish vs Softbox

Photography is one of the promising careers that are chosen by youngsters very frequently. To become proficient in your job, you need to understand the requirements of your job. That will help you a lot to master your job. For that reason, you need to select the necessary gears and accessories that are essential for photography. Requirements may vary from person to person as the criteria of photography are not the same for all. Also, it varies depending on the skill of the photographer. But some basic requirements are the same for all photographers. But you get confused in a comparison of beauty dish vs softbox. It’s a difficult task to figure out which one is the best one.

What is a softbox?

The softbox is termed as a controllable umbrella by some experts as softbox is able enough to provide soft and smooth light like the umbrella usually does. But the softbox provides a narrower beam of light than the umbrella. Thus, the photographer is allowed to focus on a definite part of the subject.

Features of softbox:

There are some features related to the softbox that make the softbox a unique choice for professional photographers. Some incredible features are:

1. Outdoor photography: Shooting a portrait in natural light is better than shooting inside a studio with artificial light. But you have to face problems due to the non-cooperation of light. In such cases, only a softbox can save you from disaster. If you are able to control the natural lighting of the outdoors with the help of a mini softbox, it will be a great opportunity for you to shoot a perfect photo in combination with the natural light and studio facility.

Advantages of the softbox in outdoor photography:

• The softbox is small and portable.
• You need not carry the whole studio for outdoor shooting if you carry the softbox only.
•  A clean and elegant look can be achieved through the use of shadow or removal of the shadow depending on the requirements.

• The lighting of the softbox inside a studio: Softbox produces soft, smooth and even light than any traditional umbrella. In a softbox, the light passes through two sheets of materials that help to diffuse the light. As a result, the light center can’t be hotter than the edges. So an equal diffusion is possible to provide even light that is essential for seamless photography.

What is a beauty dish?

The beauty dish comes with a trendy look in the world of photography. A beauty dish is able to produce an edgy and crisp light. As a result, the beauty dish ensures the proper shape and texture of the subject. The beauty dish is perfect for having sports portraits. It allows for highlighting muscles, curves, and texture with the crisp and edgy light. The beauty dish can also be used for other purposes.

Features of beauty dish:

There is some exceptional quality of the beauty dish that keeps beauty dish aside in the race of being the best lighting instrument.

1. Outdoor photography: Beauty dish is a popular choice for portrait and commercial photography. The most unique feature of the beauty dish is its ability to reflect light from a metal surface. Whereas other instruments tend to diffuse the light to obtain soft and smooth light. Even the beauty dish is capable of creating dramatic light output that will act on the face of the subject. The use of shadow also makes the photography more attractive and eye-catching.
2.  The lighting of the beauty dish inside the studio:  Beauty dish is a popular choice for professionals because of its unique characteristics. The beauty dish allows a perfectly focused light source without any hot area in the middle. It also provides softer light than a camera flash but the light is a bit harder than that of a softbox. Moreover, the beauty dish allows a concentrated light source from where light splits at the edges. Even a beauty dish is able to reflect light with a view to enlightening the subject from all angles. As a result, a smooth light wrap around the subject causes a nice contrast. But the beauty dish is worth none because of its ability to capture greater facial features than any other instrument.

Comparison between the Profoto beauty dish and softbox:

Profoto softbox:  The Profoto softbox is a popular choice because of its strong and durable structure. The softbox is made of stainless steel which is firm and robust. Also, the softbox is not too heavy to carry. Then comes the lighting policy of this softbox. The softbox provides a broader and stronger light source. And the presence of two-speed lights enables the softbox to perform the shoot in broad daylight. Even the photographer is able to brighten the subject in spite of having direct sunlight. And surprisingly you are capable of confirming the background detail.

Profoto beauty dish:  The Profoto beauty dish provides soft, easily focused, and smooth light. This soft light is required to ensure the subject’s lighting in portrait photography. This beauty dish is not only a perfect choice for portrait photography but also congenial to product photography, architectural photography, and botanical photography work. Moreover, the beauty dish can be placed adjacent to the subject which is very important to provide form and character to the subject’s face.

Buying guide:  You need to take care of some factors before choosing the right instrument for your profession. Some factors are:

• Understand your requirements properly:   Softbox and beauty dishes are not appropriate for all types of photography work. So choose the instrument between these two which is applicable to your work.
• Comfort: The instrument must be very user-friendly. Otherwise, amateur photographers will face a lot of difficulties.
• Portability:  The instrument must be a portable one for ease of carrying it.

Conclusion

You can choose any of the instruments needed for photography. But always remain cautious about the quality and durability of the instrument. It will help you to a great extent in your professional life. So be aware while choosing the best instrument for your work.