I have a new best friend…at least as far as Speedlite modifiers go. The gang at F.J. Westcott Co. sent out a couple of their recently-announced Apollo softboxes for my Advanced Speedliting workshop. I immediately took to the Apollo Orb (as did everyone in the workshop).

In case you’re not familiar with the Apollo [...]]]>

I have a new best friend…at least as far as Speedlite modifiers go. The gang at F.J. Westcott Co. sent out a couple of their recently-announced Apollo softboxes for my Advanced Speedliting workshop. I immediately took to the Apollo Orb (as did everyone in the workshop).

In case you’re not familiar with the Apollo line, here are a few factoids:
• they open and close like umbrellas–think “quick to set up, easy to transport”
• you connect your flash to it with an umbrella swivel adapter (which you likely already have) rather than a $pecialized $peed ring
• the flash mounts inside and fires backwards into a silver interior, so there’s no need for a power-eating inner-diffuser
• you can load in several Speedlites inside of an Apollo, which makes for very fast recycle times
• Apollos are affordable (as far as most softboxes are concerned), about $130

Comparing the Orb to the Original Apollo 28″

As you can see below, the Orb has eight sides and the Apollo Medium (aka: original 28″ Apollo) has four. From the side, it casually appears that the Apollo Medium is deeper, but that’s because it has a 5″/13cm lip around the diffuser panel. The Apollo Orb has a shallow edge and actually has more depth behind the diffuser panel.

Front view of Apollo Orb (left) and Apollo Medium (right)

Side view of Apollo Orb (left) and Apollo Medium (right)

The bigger difference is how they modify the light. Check out the pix below. As you can see, the Apollo Orb has a broader throw than the Apollo Medium–due to it’s larger size. What surprised me was the brighter appearance of the light from the Orb. I’ll chalk this up to the broader, flatter back in the Orb which (I’m thinking) throws more light straight forward.

Apollo Orb

Original Apollo 28" (now the Apollo Medium)

The Look of The Orb

Because of its 42″/106cm diameter, the Orb has a much wider spread than the Apollo Medium (formerly the Apollo 28″). I have loads of great students shots made with the Orb during my Advanced Speedliting workshop to share next week. For now, here is a snapshot comparison between the Apollo Orb (left) and the Apollo Medium (right). The flash power between the two shots remained the same. Beyond the broader spead of light from the Orb, many will fall in love with the round catchlights that it creates.

Left: Apollo Orb. Right: Apollo Medium (aka: Apollo 28")

No surprise, the Apollo Orb creates beautiful circular catchlights in the eyes.

Mounting One, Three, or ??? Speedlites in the Orb

The Canon Speedlite system provides a great advantage over other brands when shooting Apollo softoboxes (so much so, that most who love Apollos shoot Canon). The big advantage is that an EX II Speedlite can be controlled from the LCD of a Canon camera. So there’s no need to: put your camera down, walk over, open the diffuser panel, make an adjustment, close the diffuser panel, and walk back to your camera. Instead, you connect your Speedlite to your camera via a long ETTL-compatible cord and then make all the changes from your camera without taking a single step. [Read the details on how to do this here. For the extra-long ETTL cords, check out my little garage-based venture OCFGear.com.)

For a single Speedlite, I use a metal Manfrotto 026 Swivel Adapter (buy here) to hold the Apollo and thread the 33'/10m ETTL cord onto the metal spigot.

It's very easy to use multiple Speedlites inside of an Apollo. My favorite way is to use the IDC Triple Threat bracket (buy here) on the shaft of the Apollo. The rest of the rig is the same as above: Manfrotto 026 Swivel Adapter and the OCF Gear 33'/10m cord. Again, the cool thing about the Canon Speedlite system is that I can control the entire master/slave system from the back of my camera.

There are two reasons to use multiple Speedlites inside of an Apollo. The first is that several Speedlites firing together means that each fires at lower power -- which shortens the recycle time significantly. This is a huge advantage if you in the midst of a fast-paced shoot. The second reason is that three Speedlites fill out the light a bit more evenly. As you can see below, the light is a bit more even with three Speedlites than it is with one Speedlite. If you have only a single Speedlite, don't sweat it. I've created incredible light with just one flash and an Apollo many times.

Apollo Orb firing with three Canon 580EX II Speedlites

Apollo Orb firing with one Canon 580EX II Speedlite

Order the Apollo Orb

I expect the Apollo Orb to become the most popular of all the Apollo softboxes. The supply line is just beginning to fill. If you have to wait, know that your patience will be rewarded.

Apollo Orb at B&H Photo Video

My prediction: the Apollo Orb will become the heavyweight among Speedliters.

To create dramatic light with Speedlites, you need to think about two things: where you put your flash(es) and how you control the ambient light. If you move your Speedlite to the side, then you’ll be creating shadows for the camera. Think of shadows as being the way you reveal shape and depth [...]]]>

To create dramatic light with Speedlites, you need to think about two things: where you put your flash(es) and how you control the ambient light. If you move your Speedlite to the side, then you’ll be creating shadows for the camera. Think of shadows as being the way you reveal shape and depth in a two-dimensional photo. If you use a fast shutter speed, then you’ll dim the ambient light — which increases the effect / drama of the light created by your Speedlites. Compare the shot above to the shot below and you’ll see what I mean.

This past weekend, I held my Speedliter’s Intensive in the studio of the Seattle Photography Associates. SPA is the hub of a community of photographers, models, and other creatives. The gang at SPA arranged for two great models each day — which saved the attendees from being called out to model. So, as a gesture of thanks to the models, after each half-day demo session ended, I spent about 20 minutes working one-on-one with the model rather than one-plus-thirty-five-on-one with the model.

I want you to meet two of my friends: Nyema Clark, who models through SPA, and Westcott’s 28″ (70cm) Apollo Softbox. The Apollo is unique in that it creates beautiful light with anywhere from one to four Speedlites mounted inside the softbox. For this quick tour round the SPA studio, I mounted three Speedlites inside the Apollo on a Lastolite TriFlash (details below). Then Nyema and I made a quick tour around the studio and hit several of the sets / random objects here and there. All of these shots were made in 20 minutes.

Again, one of the keys to creating magic light with flash is to control the ambient with your shutter speed. As you can see in the set shot above, one of the backgrounds was an old table tipped on end. By pushing the Apollo back towards the table, I was able to light both Nyema and the background with my Speedlites. It took a few frames to place Nyema in just the right spot — but that’s the joy of digital, you get instant feedback.

Normally, I use the Apollo with the white diffuser panel in place. On a whim, I pulled the diffuser and moved the Apollo right above my head. By right above, I mean that the lens was pushing up on the bottom of the softbox. You can see it in the catchlight detail below. So, Bang! Pull the diffuser and you have a quasi beauty dish in 15 seconds. Such lovely light.

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Remember, it’s always what’s in the frame that matters. When a photograph works, your viewer does not wonder what is just outside the frame. Take advantage of this whenever you can. For instance, the viewer does not need to know that there’s a big softbox, a sheet of steel, and a couple of grates all crammed together. This shot was made literally two steps from the shots shown just above.

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The Westcott Apollo — A Great Softbox For Speedliting

I’m a guy who owns lots of softboxes. Lots and lots of softboxes. Why? If you increase the apparent size of your light source (which is what a softbox does) then you will get soft shadows. Also, if you push a large light source (aka: your softbox) in as close as you can to the edge of the frame, you’ll create a dramatic falloff of light. If your softbox has a recessed front (which I consider to be critical), then you’ll find that there’s an edge to your light that you can use creatively.

In contrast, the problem with umbrellas is that it’s difficult to control the edge of the light. The curved surface of an umbrella — particularly a shoot-through umbrella — throws light is a wide arc. So, when you are taking your first step beyond the umbrella, Westcott’s 28″ Apollo is a great softbox to buy. It’s affordable (relative to the cost of other softboxes), quick to set up (it opens like an umbrella), and creates great light.

When it comes to mounting several Speedlites inside of the Apollo, I use one of three mounts: the Lastolite TriFlash, the IDC Triple Threat, or Lightware’s Foursquare. How do I decide? It really just depends upon my mood. When starting with multiple flash, go with the TriFlash. It creates just a bit more falloff below — but you can get a similar look with the other mounts by positioning the Apollo higher on the subject (meaning that you blow light over the top of the subject so that it’s not seen in the photo).

If you have just a single Speedlite, don’t let that hold you back from using the Apollo. In fact, for a single Speedlite, you can mount the Apollo on a standard swivel adapter (aka: umbrella adapter) and lock the flash into a coldshoe. In case you’re wondering: an Apollo with one Speedlite is a full stop below an Apollo with two Speedlites and a stop-and-a-half below an Apollo with three Speedlites. You can often make up the difference by increasing your ISO by these amounts.

Now, here’s the big tip: if you mount a 580EX II on an extra-long E-TTL cord inside the Apollo, you can set it as the master and control the other Speedlites as slaves from the LCD monitor on the back of your camera. If you’re a Canonista and have a compatible camera, by “control” I mean every last thing — switch between E-TTL and Manual, control the power level, change the FEC, etc. [For the details on how to do all of this, read this article.]

Lastolite TriFlash

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IDC TripleThreat

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Lightware FourSquare

More Speedliting adventures at the SPA studio to come soon!

When in Auto mode, the ZOOM function on your Speedlite was intended to make flash photography simple for people who don’t know what they are doing. When paired with a compatible lens, your Speedlite will reposition the flashtube so that the its angle of coverage is matched to what the lens sees. The [...]]]>

When in Auto mode, the ZOOM function on your Speedlite was intended to make flash photography simple for people who don’t know what they are doing. When paired with a compatible lens, your Speedlite will reposition the flashtube so that the its angle of coverage is matched to what the lens sees. The range, on a full-sensor camera is 24mm to 105mm. Then, if you pull out the flip-down Wide-Angle Diffusion Panel on a 580EX/EXII, the angle of coverage expands to 14mm (with a 3-stop loss of light, see the end for details).

The idea is that if you are shooting a 50mm lens, then there is no point in lighting the area covered by a 28mm lens. For on-the-fly photojournalism, Auto Zoom is a good feature—even if you know what you are doing. From my perspective as a creative Speedliter, the ZOOM button is a built-in modifier that I can use to change the look of the flash to fit to my vision.

Brightness Concentrates

The effect of the Speedlite zooming to a longer focal length, it is it concentrates the light. So, at the center of the frame, the Speedlite is brighter when zoomed to 105mm that it is when zoomed out to 24mm. You can see this effect in the frames below. They are all shot with the Speedlite’s power in Manual at 1/1.

As you can see, the is a distinct difference in the light on Tony’s face between the top frame (zoom = 24mm) and the last frame (zoom = 105mm). I think the first is slightly underexposed and the last is definitly overexposed. To my eye, the optimal exposure happened when the head was zoomed to 50mm. Again, for these demo pix, the only thing that is changing from frame to frame is the zoom setting. In a real shoot, I would have first found the vignette that I wanted and then dialed the power up or down.

Creating Vignettes

There is nothing that says you should not take the Speedlite out of Auto Zoom (by pressing the ZOOM so that  the zoom display blinks and then turning the dial). More often than not I will use a Speedlite in Manual Zoom and zoom it much tighter than the lens I am shooting. I do this intentionally to create a vignette and, by doing so, send the viewer’s eye to what I want him to concentrate on.

ZOOM = 24mm

ZOOM = 28mm

ZOOM = 35mm

ZOOM = 50mm

ZOOM = 70mm

ZOOM = 80mm

ZOOM = 105mm

ZOOM’s Power Hit

After shooting the above series and seeing the difference in light on Tony’s face and hand at each zoom setting, I set up a test to measure the amount of the light loss. In doing so, I resurrected my trusty Minolta Flashmeter IVF from the dark recesses of my camera bag (where I’ve kept it for years, largely for sentimental reasons).

I ran two series of measurements—one with the flashhead 24″ from the dome of the flashmeter and one with the flashead 48″ from the dome of the flashmeter. (There was, at most, a 0.1-stop difference.)

To keep the everything constant (other than the Zoom setting), I mounted the 580EX to a an off-camera E-TTL cord and then to a light stand and adjusted the height to the distances indicated. The flashmeter was set on the floor. I fired the Speedlite in Manual mode with the power dialed to 1/1. The flashmeter was set to ‘Non-cord Flash’. In this mode, it waits for a burst of light to take a measurement. The ambient light was not a factor.

So, using the output of 105mm as a baseline, here is the power lost at each ZOOM increment. The results are expressed as EV (exposure value). One EV is one-stop. I have separated them into the most relevant divisions (meaning that there is essentially no difference between 80mm and 70mm or between 28mm and 24mm).

105mm = Baseline

80mm = -0.1EV
70mm = -0.2EV

50mm = -0.6EV

35mm = -1.0EV

28mm = -1.5EV
24mm = -1.5EV

14mm = -2.9EV*

*14mm is achieved by pulling out the flip-down Wide-Angle Panel on a 580EX/EXII

Re-thinking the Wide-Angle Panel As A Viable Mod

ZOOM = 14mm (via flip-down Wide-Angle Panel)

I have to confess that I never considered the light lost by pulling out that little plastic Wide-Angle Panel at the top of a 580EX/EX II… until I shot these demo pix. Then, to measure it at nearly 3-stops, well I thought about breaking that sucker right out of my Speedlite. A 3-stop loss is even more than the power hit that comes from switching into High-Speed Sync (which I recently calc’d to be 2.5 stops—details to come soon). Just to be fair, after measuring the Wide-Angle Panel, I parked it back in it’s garage and popped a StoFen Omni-Bounce on the front. The light lost through this translucent white plastic cap was 2.6 stops—still a sizable hit, but less than the Wide-Angle Panel .