Not too Big, but just Big Enough
When I post my work on Facebook forums and other social media platforms, the one question that I get asked the most is "What is your favorite modifier?" Really, it's a loaded question as I use several different modifiers for my work especially in studio. However, when I get this question, it's usually for my outdoor work that includes high school seniors. Personally, I love this modifier; it's a great "in between" modifier, in that it's not too small, but it's not too big either. That modifier is the Cheetahstand QSB34. The QSB stands for Quick Soup Bowl, haha! The original owner is of Chinese descent and named the modifiers accordingly. Rest in Peace Edward, you are greatly missed. Now, the new owners of Cheetahstand; Charles and David have taken over the company and are doing a phenomenal job! So, if you want to support an amazing business, please feel free to visit the website: www.cheetahstand.com and you can use my code: JOEBAKER to save a little money. Full disclosure, I am one of their Master Creators and will make a little bit off of every sale.
Now back to the modifier itself; it is a 34" round modifier that has a silver interior along with two diffusion panels, a middle dish plate, and a grid. I love that it provides a nice soft light without being too big for my outdoor shoots. Living in a windy town, it's nice to have a smaller modifier that can handle the wind, but still provide a nice soft light. Now, we talk about soft light, but keep in mind that you still have the distance to subject relationship, so if you do not keep the light fairly close, you will still have a harder light than expected. For my work, I keep the modifier usually right out of frame or will even have to photoshop it out sometimes. I prefer the light as close as possible to help provide that soft light that I love for my work. For example, in the image above, the light is just right out of frame and I have it pointed down towards the model and feathered away from just a bit. I like the dramatic light, so I will use my camera settings to darken the background either with my aperture or shutter speed, and use my off camera flash to light my subject. I find that this modifier has a good mix of being able to fit into those tight spots and still create soft light. With the grid that comes with it, I can focus that light down even more and help control the spill. It's just a great overall modifier that I would highly recommend to anyone getting started with off camera flash. You will continue to use it even after you have purchased other modifiers throughout your journey. My basic run and gun setup is; the Cheetahstand QSB34, the Godox AD600, and the Cheetahstand C12 folding stand. I will carry it on my shoulder throughout the shoot or in my wagon and use it probably the entire time for a two hour shoot. Here are some more examples of this setup:
