Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
p.1 #1Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
I'm planning to do some outdoor headshots and 3/4 shots of coaches and team support staff for their website bio. Not trying to do anything too extravagant. I was thinking a main light (AD200) and either the sun or another AD200 as the rim light.
I have a few 32in rectangular softboxes, but I'm thinking about going with a round 48in diffuser of some sort instead. I'm just not sure if I should be looking for a true 8-sided octabox or one of those deep parabolic softbox reflectors.
Would appreciate any advice from those who are doing this on some regular basis.
I have a few 32in rectangular softboxes, but I'm thinking about going with a round 48in diffuser of some sort instead. I'm just not sure if I should be looking for a true 8-sided octabox or one of those deep parabolic softbox reflectors.
Would appreciate any advice from those who are doing this on some regular basis.
Jun 17, 2026 at 12:42 PM
p.1 #2Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
Back in the previous century I used to use a Quantum Qflash with the built in reflector (diffused) when doing outdoor sports T&I for the individual shots...basically the same thing you are doing. I would imagine that the Godox Pro 200 would do the same thing, but I would probably use the round head on mine. I would also use a Godox S2 Speed Light Bracket with the Bowens mount and attach a 7" reflector with some diffusion. That would create a little more "spread" for the light. If you wanted to use a softbox or even an umbrella you could mount either on the Speed Light Bracket.
My concern with using a softbox or umbrella outside....especially one that is 32-46 inches in diameter....would be that the slightest wind could blow it over unless you have an assistant that doubles as a light stand. Even then it could be difficult to control.
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LB
My concern with using a softbox or umbrella outside....especially one that is 32-46 inches in diameter....would be that the slightest wind could blow it over unless you have an assistant that doubles as a light stand. Even then it could be difficult to control.
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LB
Jun 17, 2026 at 03:46 PM
p.1 #3Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
Thanks for the input. I do have the S2 bracket. I was considering just using the bare bulb or that 7in metal/cone that came with the AD200, but I think the resulting light might be a bit too "dramatic" for the type of photos they're looking for. I suppose I'd have to experiment a bit first.
Jun 17, 2026 at 06:48 PM
p.1 #4Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
Outdoor, built environment, sport team: you can almost always scout out a white wall for simple bounce with a bare strobe. Just corral your team members to the shooting area. If not a white wall then tie white canvas to it. You can also tie canvas to other structures (monkey bars, etc). All you need is one good bounce, and tied canvas is windproof.
Jun 17, 2026 at 06:58 PM
p.1 #5Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
There's a million and one ways to do this type of thing. For the rim light, I'd either use the sun or a bare bulb and reflector for the rim light if it's an overcast day. Turn off the rim light if there's sun. For key, the rectangular softbox are most likely fine, as 32" is a decent size for headshots, but if you want to play it safe a 36-48" octa might be preferable. You could also use a shoot through umbrella for key, or a 46" photek softlighter with diffusion. The rectangular softboxes main issue is the catchlights will be square, which might be distracting given the background is outdoors. Being that you're using the AD200s, I might just go with the 36" because it might not be powerful enough to fill a 48" outdoors, also you might run out of battery if you're doing a large group.
Depending on the amount of contrast you want in the images, you might want to have a reflector on standby that can be clamped to another light stand, on the opposite side of the key light to fill in the shadows. Better yet if you can have an assistant to help, they can position it either below talent right out of frame or to the side. Play around with fill levels, as depending on age, gender and build, more or less fill might be desired. Make sure that the rim light is positioned in such a way that it's not spilling onto the cheek of the subject - it doesn't take that much more of a turn of a head before it then starts to spill on to their nose.
Make sure you have a couple sandbags on hand when shooting outside. A shoot will end quickly once you break a light because it gets tipped over by the wind. I feel like this is what so many photographers cheap out on, and it's so important from a safety standpoint.
Depending on the amount of contrast you want in the images, you might want to have a reflector on standby that can be clamped to another light stand, on the opposite side of the key light to fill in the shadows. Better yet if you can have an assistant to help, they can position it either below talent right out of frame or to the side. Play around with fill levels, as depending on age, gender and build, more or less fill might be desired. Make sure that the rim light is positioned in such a way that it's not spilling onto the cheek of the subject - it doesn't take that much more of a turn of a head before it then starts to spill on to their nose.
Make sure you have a couple sandbags on hand when shooting outside. A shoot will end quickly once you break a light because it gets tipped over by the wind. I feel like this is what so many photographers cheap out on, and it's so important from a safety standpoint.
Jun 17, 2026 at 10:36 PM
p.1 #6Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
sungphoto wrote:
There's a million and one ways to do this type of thing. For the rim light, I'd either use the sun or a bare bulb and reflector for the rim light if it's an overcast day. Turn off the rim light if there's sun. For key, the rectangular softbox are most likely fine, as 32" is a decent size for headshots, but if you want to play it safe a 36-48" octa might be preferable. You could also use a shoot through umbrella for key, or a 46" photek softlighter with diffusion. The rectangular softboxes main issue is the catchlights...Show more →
Super helpful, thank you. My main reason for avoiding the rectangular boxes is just what you mentioned (the catchlight shape). I do have a couple of shoot through umbrellas, but I'm thinking the light would wrap around the subject too much to create a flat effect. I don't want the images to look overly dramatic, but considering this is for sports and not corporate headshots, I thought a touch of "edginess" might be fitting.
I've been going back and forth between the 36in vs 48in octabox. I got rid of my big strobe in favor of a couple of AD200 pro's, an AD100 pro, and a V1 Pro as I'm not doing this type of portraiture stuff too often. With that said, I am actually a bit worried about the power under full sun. I'll probably end up going with a 36, but what are your thoughts on the typical shallow octaboxes vs the deeper octaboxes?
There's a million and one ways to do this type of thing. For the rim light, I'd either use the sun or a bare bulb and reflector for the rim light if it's an overcast day. Turn off the rim light if there's sun. For key, the rectangular softbox are most likely fine, as 32" is a decent size for headshots, but if you want to play it safe a 36-48" octa might be preferable. You could also use a shoot through umbrella for key, or a 46" photek softlighter with diffusion. The rectangular softboxes main issue is the catchlights...Show more →
Super helpful, thank you. My main reason for avoiding the rectangular boxes is just what you mentioned (the catchlight shape). I do have a couple of shoot through umbrellas, but I'm thinking the light would wrap around the subject too much to create a flat effect. I don't want the images to look overly dramatic, but considering this is for sports and not corporate headshots, I thought a touch of "edginess" might be fitting.
I've been going back and forth between the 36in vs 48in octabox. I got rid of my big strobe in favor of a couple of AD200 pro's, an AD100 pro, and a V1 Pro as I'm not doing this type of portraiture stuff too often. With that said, I am actually a bit worried about the power under full sun. I'll probably end up going with a 36, but what are your thoughts on the typical shallow octaboxes vs the deeper octaboxes?
Jun 18, 2026 at 09:52 AM
p.1 #7Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
MMP wrote:
Depending on the amount of contrast you want in the images, you might want to have a reflector on standby that can be clamped to another light stand, on the opposite side of the key light to fill in the shadows. Better yet if you can have an assistant to help, they can position it either below talent right out of frame or to the side. Play around with fill levels, as depending on age, gender and build, more or less fill might be desired. Make sure that the rim light is positioned in such a way that it's not spilling onto the cheek of the subject - it doesn't take that much more of a turn of a head before it then starts to spill on to their nose.
Make sure you have a couple sandbags on hand when shooting outside. A shoot will end quickly once you break a light because it gets tipped over by the wind. I feel like this is what so many photographers cheap out on, and it's so important from a safety standpoint.Super helpful, thank you. My main reason for avoiding the rectangular boxes is just what you mentioned (the catchlight shape). I do have a couple of shoot through umbrellas, but I'm thinking the light would wrap around the subject too much to create a flat effect. I don't want the images to look overly dramatic, but considering this is for sports and not corporate headshots, I thought a touch of "edginess" might be fitting.
I've been going back and forth between the 36in vs 48in octabox. I got rid of my big strobe in favor of a couple of AD200 pro's,...Show more →
Hmm yeah powering a 48" octa is going to be a challenge if you're in full sun, as in order to not blow out the background you're going to be around f10 or so at 1/200 SS and iso 100, and an AD200 is going to be close to maxed out trying to power that large of a modifier. I'd probably opt for something like a 36" octa unless you can get ahold of a more powerful strobe like an AD600.
Shallower softboxes tend to have less even illumination across the face of the diffusion material, because the strobe will have a harder time getting light to all of the corners of the softbox. One of my favorite midsize octas is the Elinchrom 100cm (approx 39") deep octa, which you can use a bowens mount speed ring with to mount onto the S2 adapter. The front diffusion material is nice and thick, something that tends to set it apart from some of the budget options and they are very durable (I've had mine for over 10 years and it's outlasted my westcott rapid modifiers).
I would also make sure that you're not shooting in high speed sync, as you're going to run down the batteries fast in those AD200s and the overheat protection kicks in pretty fast even with normal sync.
sungphoto wrote
There's a million and one ways to do this type of thing. For the rim light, I'd either use the sun or a bare bulb and reflector for the rim light if it's an overcast day. Turn off the rim light if there's sun. For key, the rectangular softbox are most likely fine, as 32" is a decent size for headshots, but if you want to play it safe a 36-48" octa might be preferable. You could also use a shoot through umbrella for key, or a 46" photek softlighter with diffusion. The rectangular softboxes main issue is the catchlights will be square, which might be distracting given the background is outdoors. Being that you're using the AD200s, I might just go with the 36" because it might not be powerful enough to fill a 48" outdoors, also you might run out of battery if you're doing a large group.Depending on the amount of contrast you want in the images, you might want to have a reflector on standby that can be clamped to another light stand, on the opposite side of the key light to fill in the shadows. Better yet if you can have an assistant to help, they can position it either below talent right out of frame or to the side. Play around with fill levels, as depending on age, gender and build, more or less fill might be desired. Make sure that the rim light is positioned in such a way that it's not spilling onto the cheek of the subject - it doesn't take that much more of a turn of a head before it then starts to spill on to their nose.
Make sure you have a couple sandbags on hand when shooting outside. A shoot will end quickly once you break a light because it gets tipped over by the wind. I feel like this is what so many photographers cheap out on, and it's so important from a safety standpoint.
I've been going back and forth between the 36in vs 48in octabox. I got rid of my big strobe in favor of a couple of AD200 pro's,...Show more →
Hmm yeah powering a 48" octa is going to be a challenge if you're in full sun, as in order to not blow out the background you're going to be around f10 or so at 1/200 SS and iso 100, and an AD200 is going to be close to maxed out trying to power that large of a modifier. I'd probably opt for something like a 36" octa unless you can get ahold of a more powerful strobe like an AD600.
Shallower softboxes tend to have less even illumination across the face of the diffusion material, because the strobe will have a harder time getting light to all of the corners of the softbox. One of my favorite midsize octas is the Elinchrom 100cm (approx 39") deep octa, which you can use a bowens mount speed ring with to mount onto the S2 adapter. The front diffusion material is nice and thick, something that tends to set it apart from some of the budget options and they are very durable (I've had mine for over 10 years and it's outlasted my westcott rapid modifiers).
I would also make sure that you're not shooting in high speed sync, as you're going to run down the batteries fast in those AD200s and the overheat protection kicks in pretty fast even with normal sync.
Jun 18, 2026 at 10:51 AM
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p.1 #8Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
Any kind of fabric modifier is tough to deal with outdoors. You'll need to secure it well in case of wind. Bare bulb reflectors are the easiest to manage on your own. The AD-S2 fits on the AD200 and has a diffusion cover.
Jun 18, 2026 at 01:16 PM
p.1 #9Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
For portraits and close shoots of people, I prefer octa boxes over the square or rectangular soft boxes, because the catchlights in their eyes look more natural. I rarely take soft boxes out of the studio, but might use umbrellas with flash and reflectors to make use of the Sun for outdoor shoots. Why try to over power the Sun, when you don't need to carry it to distant photo shoots. Reflectors get it pointed in the direction that I need. I also use the diffuser part of one of my large 5 way reflectors to diffuse the direct Sunlight.
I do take small strobes with me, usually to light their faces when the clouds make using reflected Sunlight difficult or impossible. Totally overcast but light days are perfect, since the thin clouds make a huge soft box in the sky for my shoots. On those days, low power strobes to brighten faces get used more frequently. I take three AD200 Pro II lights with me for this, usually using the 5" round reflectors and diffuser disks with them if close, or I just use the reflectors without the diffuser disks if located more than 6' or so away. I usually use only two strobes. The third is my backup.
Though heavy by my remote shoot standards, they are worth taking. Trying to over power the Sun is crazy expensive and heavy to carry. I reflect the Sunlight and make use of it when it's up there at the time of my shoot.
Charley
I do take small strobes with me, usually to light their faces when the clouds make using reflected Sunlight difficult or impossible. Totally overcast but light days are perfect, since the thin clouds make a huge soft box in the sky for my shoots. On those days, low power strobes to brighten faces get used more frequently. I take three AD200 Pro II lights with me for this, usually using the 5" round reflectors and diffuser disks with them if close, or I just use the reflectors without the diffuser disks if located more than 6' or so away. I usually use only two strobes. The third is my backup.
Though heavy by my remote shoot standards, they are worth taking. Trying to over power the Sun is crazy expensive and heavy to carry. I reflect the Sunlight and make use of it when it's up there at the time of my shoot.
Charley
Jun 19, 2026 at 10:03 AM
p.1 #10Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
AD200 is limited power in a modifier for full sun situations. As mentioned, the overheating protection will kick in pretty quickly and will shut down a unit for ~10 minutes to recover, especially if in HSS mode. If you put it in a medium to large modifier, it will be underpowered if wanting to balance with or overpower the sun. It also depends on distance of modifier to the subject - typically larger modifiers that require more power and will also be farther away from the subject.
For H&S and 3/4, you can get away with 36/39" modifiers. It's the right size for headshots and there will be more falloff for 3/4 length than a larger modifier, but it will still work.
For reference to power requirements, I used a 190cm Elinchrom Litemotiv indirect octabox for full length shots in a hallway against windows. It was positioned ~5-6 feet away from the subject. When full sun was coming through the windows, the ELB 500 pack was at full power to approach f/8 at ISO 200 AND in HSS at 1/400 second. In my case, f/8 was desirable to retain background definition, rather than blowing it out at f/2.8. But if at f/2.8 I'd have to raise HSS shutter speed to 1/3200 to balance with sunlight. It was on the limit of what 500Ws could do in such a large modifier. I typically do H&S portraits with the previously mentioned Elinchrom 39" Deep Octa and it is typically positioned ~3 feet from the subject's face. In this arrangement, to do f/8 at ISO 200 at the cameras regular sync speed (in a studio environment), power output is in the 100Ws range. If I had to balance with full sunlight, it would be at least a stop brighter, if not a bit more. So 200Ws would be on the edge of being sufficient.
I'd scout your location to determine if there are any options for working in a shaded area. You could either try natural light, or bring in your AD200s with reasonable modifiers and have enough power to put some nice light on the subject without quite the challenge of balancing with full sunlight.
As also mentioned, wind can be a significant challenge. It helps a lot if you can put weights on the stand and/or have someone present to hold it upright. In bad situations I've used the Elinchrom 27" Deep Octa without diffusion fabric as basically a large beauty dish reflector, and it was OK for throwing light some distance. But it won't be as nice as a larger diffused modifier. A traditional beauty dish reflector is probably the most durable modifier in stronger wind conditions. Some of the larger boxes also have loops sewn in them near the face at the corners to serve as tie down anchor points. You'd run lines to stakes in the ground to keep the modifier in place.
For H&S and 3/4, you can get away with 36/39" modifiers. It's the right size for headshots and there will be more falloff for 3/4 length than a larger modifier, but it will still work.
For reference to power requirements, I used a 190cm Elinchrom Litemotiv indirect octabox for full length shots in a hallway against windows. It was positioned ~5-6 feet away from the subject. When full sun was coming through the windows, the ELB 500 pack was at full power to approach f/8 at ISO 200 AND in HSS at 1/400 second. In my case, f/8 was desirable to retain background definition, rather than blowing it out at f/2.8. But if at f/2.8 I'd have to raise HSS shutter speed to 1/3200 to balance with sunlight. It was on the limit of what 500Ws could do in such a large modifier. I typically do H&S portraits with the previously mentioned Elinchrom 39" Deep Octa and it is typically positioned ~3 feet from the subject's face. In this arrangement, to do f/8 at ISO 200 at the cameras regular sync speed (in a studio environment), power output is in the 100Ws range. If I had to balance with full sunlight, it would be at least a stop brighter, if not a bit more. So 200Ws would be on the edge of being sufficient.
I'd scout your location to determine if there are any options for working in a shaded area. You could either try natural light, or bring in your AD200s with reasonable modifiers and have enough power to put some nice light on the subject without quite the challenge of balancing with full sunlight.
As also mentioned, wind can be a significant challenge. It helps a lot if you can put weights on the stand and/or have someone present to hold it upright. In bad situations I've used the Elinchrom 27" Deep Octa without diffusion fabric as basically a large beauty dish reflector, and it was OK for throwing light some distance. But it won't be as nice as a larger diffused modifier. A traditional beauty dish reflector is probably the most durable modifier in stronger wind conditions. Some of the larger boxes also have loops sewn in them near the face at the corners to serve as tie down anchor points. You'd run lines to stakes in the ground to keep the modifier in place.
Jun 23, 2026 at 12:33 AM
p.1 #11Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
I don't like HSS for most of my shoots, and I like relaxed shooting with careful readjustments of lights and subject. I'm not in it for the money anymore, and have never had my three AD200 Pro II overheat on me. Yes I run them at 80-100% often, but I get what I need from them. You should watch markuspix latest post on Youtube as he shoots mostly the way that I like to shoot. I get similar results shoots with just 3 AD200 Pro II lights and sometimes a few folding 5 way reflectors. I travel light now.
Again, I don't like rushing my shoots. I'm 84 now, and just back from the hospital getting pacemaker replacement #3 last week, because #2 installed in Feb 2026 was failing. They are supposed to last 6 years+. The docs almost lost me this time. No, I'll continue to do my occasional outdoor shoots my way, thank you. Maybe you will learn to slow down and travel lite too, if you are still doing this at my age. Not trying to offend you. Just saying what I do, and why.
Charley
Again, I don't like rushing my shoots. I'm 84 now, and just back from the hospital getting pacemaker replacement #3 last week, because #2 installed in Feb 2026 was failing. They are supposed to last 6 years+. The docs almost lost me this time. No, I'll continue to do my occasional outdoor shoots my way, thank you. Maybe you will learn to slow down and travel lite too, if you are still doing this at my age. Not trying to offend you. Just saying what I do, and why.
Charley
Sep 22, 2026 at 12:48 PM
p.1 #12Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
If you're going to be doing a lot of outdoor work, I would suggest investing in a more powerful light source as the main and use the AD200 as a fill/hair, etc. The AD200 will probably work marginally, but with a cloth in front of the strobe, it will always run close to max power. A more powerful strobe will give you more flexibility and options.
Sep 23, 2026 at 06:41 AM
p.1 #13Any advice on choosing a softbox for headshots and 3/4 shots?
"If you're going to be doing a lot of outdoor work, I would suggest investing in a more powerful light source as the main and use the AD200 as a fill/hair, etc. The AD200 will probably work marginally, but with a cloth in front of the strobe, it will always run close to max power. A more powerful strobe will give you more flexibility and options"
The Sun and a 5 way reflector is brighter and much easier to carry. I can get all the light where I need it, without lugging heavy lights. You should try it some time.
Charley
The Sun and a 5 way reflector is brighter and much easier to carry. I can get all the light where I need it, without lugging heavy lights. You should try it some time.
Charley
Sep 25, 2026 at 11:21 AM