HonlPhoto

Honl Speed Strap – Award-winning photojournalist David Honl has created a versatile line of light modifiers for Speedlites. The Speed Strap is the core of the system. Essentially it is a rubber-backed strap with Velcro-like fuzz on the other side. When needed, you attach the Speed Strap around the head of your Speedlite and then attach the various modifiers to the strap. When not needed, the strap and accessories stow into a compact kit.

Honl Grids – The purpose of a grid is to constrain the spread of light coming from the flash. The size of the grid determines the amount of control; the tighter the grid, the tighter the column of light. Honl offers two models: 1/4″ grid and 1/8″ grid. I carry both, but find most times that the 1/8″ grid it the one for the job. Here’s a trick I learned from McNally: when you need just a bit more light in a subject’s eye, strap on an 1/8″ grid and turn the power way down on a Speedlite. Then move it in as close to the eyes as you can get.

Honl Snoots/Reflectors – A Snoot is a tube, either soft or flexible, that you attach to the front of a Speedlite to limit the spread of light. The length of the snoot is the main controlling factor; the longer the snoot, the tighter the pattern. Honl makes several snoots: 5″ silver, 8″ silver, and 8″ gold zebra. All are made of cordura nylon backed with reflective photo fabric. You can wrap them onto a Speed Strap and form a tube. Or you can loosely attach it on 3-sides and have a good sized reflector for bounce work. I carry all three. The 8″ gold zebra (just released) is my favorite. I’ve never found much use for the 5″; but because it does not take much space, I still carry it.

Honl Gobo/Flag/Bounce Card – A “gobo” is Hollywood-talk for “go between”. Anything that can be put between a light source and the subject could be a gobo. HonlPhoto makes a handy gobo that can also be used as a simple bounce card. Measuring 4″ x 7.5″, it is black nylon backed with a stiff white plastic. As there are hooked-patches on both sides, you can attach it to the speedstrap either way. Use the black side towards the flash if you are trying to flag (limit) the spread of the light. Use the white side towards the flash, especially with the head tilted straight up, and you have a nice bounce card (that pushes a bit of light forward into the eyes while most of it bounces off the ceiling to fill the room). Sold individually. If you buy a pair, you can use them together as a set of barn doors. I carry two in my kit all the time.

Honl Filter (aka: Gel) Kits – Gels are an important part of a Speedliter’s kit. Color correction gels (CTO, CTB) can help you match your Speedlites to tungsten lamps. Color effect gels can be used to add a dramatic effect to a scene. I carry a wide assortment of both types of gels in my kit. Honl, not surprisingly, has made it very easy to use gels with Speedlites. They are sized and designed to be used right on the Honl Speed Strap. To get started, go with the Honl Filter Sampler Kit. It provides a good assortment of both types of gels (which Honl calls “filters”). For color effects, the Hollywood kit contains purples, pinks and green and the Autumn kit contains oranges and tans. For a deep collection of color correction gels, check out the Honl Color Correction Filter Kit.

Rosco

Rosco Strobist Gel Kit – The proper gel will enable your Speedlite to morph from a daylight device into into any number of other light sources: tungsten, fluorescent, etc. Or you can use a colored gel to create theatrical light on your subject or in the scene. Selected by the Strobist himself, David Hobby, the Rosco Strobist Gel Kit contains the essential filters for both color correction and dramatic work. There are 20 different gels in the set, with a total count of 55 gels. Each measures 1.5″ x 3.25″, large enough to cover the face of your Speedlite, but not large enough to attach to the Honl Speed Strap. Depending upon the shoot, I’ve used a number of solutions: gaffer’s tape being my favorite. The kit includes a LumiQuest Gel Holder – which works on the 430EX, but it a bit too small on the 580EX.

Rosco Swatch Book- These little guys are increasingly hard to find. So, if you find one, grab it. It includes one sample of every Roscolux filter along with a chart that describes the transmissive characteristics of each. They are just large enough to cover the face of a 580EX II Speedlite – although you’ll have to use gaffer’s tape or a holder to keep it in place. Usually just a few dollars, the swatch book is a great way to learn about the full range of gels available for Speedliting.

Sto-Fen

Sto-Fen OmniBounce – The Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce is a translucent plastic box that fits over the head of your Speedlite. When you tilt the flashhead up, the Sto-Fen transfers the light in many different directions. It’s similar to the look of a barebulb studio flash. I carry one for every Speedlite in my bag. They are molded for specific models, so be sure to get the right one: 580EX and EX II, 550 EX, 430 EX and EX II, 270 EX. In addition to the white, Sto-Fen also offers green and gold diffusers for color correction. I have never used them nor had the desire to do so.

Lastolite

Lastolite Ezybox Speed-lite - This is my favorite small softbox for Speedliting. It folds flat, so it does not get bent out of shape (like the LumiQuest gear can). It sets up in a minute. And, most importantly, it creates beautiful, soft light. If I’m working an event solo, I’ll strap the Ezybox Speed-lite to a flash and then connect the flash to my camera via a short E-TTL cord. I shoot the camera in one hand while holding the Speedlite in my other outstretched hand. If you’re looking for a softbox to fit into a compact travel kit, this is the one. In trials, I noticed only a slight difference between the light of the Ezybox Speed-lite and the larger Exybox Hotshoe models.

LumiQuest

LumiQuest Ultra Strap – For years, LumiQuest has shipped their light modifiers with several Velcro patches. The idea was (and is) that you’d affix the loop side to the head of your Speedlite and the loop side to the modifier. I never did this because I did not want to gum up my Speedlites (LumiQuest says that you can remove the gum with a solvent). My solution was to attach the LumiQuest gear to my Speedlites with a Honl Speed Strap. LumiQuest has heard the drumbeat and now offers its own Cinch Strap. Similar in thought to the Honl design, it’s a bit narrower and longer.

LumiQuest ProMax Softbox III – A softbox is a great way to make the apparent size of your Speedlite seem much bigger. The advantage to a larger light source is that the shadows soften when the light comes from multiple angles – the same way that clouds soften sunlight. The Lumiquest Softbox III is an ingenious configuration of plastic and cardstock. It measures 8″ x 9″ across the face, yet folds flat for easy transport. While it’s not the same as shooting a larger softbox, like the Lastolite EZYBox, the size is big enough to create softlight on a close up. To prevent a hotspot at the center, the plastic is extra thick. Overall, you lose about 2-stops of light. It attaches directly to your Speedlite by the Velcro tabs (included) or onto either the LumiQuest Cinch Strap or Honl Speed Strap.

 LumiQuest LTP Softbox (the big one) - The LTp is the big brother to the ProMax Softbox III. At 10″ x 14″, its face is twice the size of its little brother. Due to the extra size, a second speedstrap is recommended — one that wraps around the Speedlite head and another to wrap around the softbox after it is attached to the first strap.

LumiQuest ProMax 80/20 Bounce System – A bounce adapter has a simple purpose: make the Speedlite seem bigger by spreading the light around. The LumiQuest ProMax Bounce System is a multi-function rig. As shown here, the frame has a unique webbed top. Use it open like this and it will throw 80% of the light to the ceiling and bounce 20% forward to create a nice catchlight in the eyes of your subject(s). If the ceiling is too high or you just want more punch, you can drop in one of the white, gold metallic or silver metallic reflector panels. There’s also a diffusion panel that can be added to soften things up a bit. As is typical of LumiQuest, everything folds up into an easy-to-carry case.