Octabox 150 | Studio Lighting Essentials

Every octabox features a locking mechanism referred to as speed rings. These mechanisms, which allow you to attach your light to your modifier, vary from brand to brand. For example, broncolor speed rings enable you to attach broncolor modifiers to broncolor lights.

However, it is often possible to buy adapted speed rings that enable you to mix brands. For example, broncolor also manufactures other speed rings so that broncolor modifiers can be also used with other brands of light.

Similarly, in our studio, we use a Bowens fit adaptor that allows us to attach octaboxes to video lights.

Whatever speed rings you’re working with, assembly is usually via a simple colour-coded system. Line up the blue dots with the blue rods, the red dots with the red rods – job done!

You may have seen other photographers using grids with their octaboxes and thought you need to do the same. But the truth is, I don’t do so very often.

Why? Because a grid will reduce the softness of the light from the softbox by narrowing the angle of the beam, creating a higher-contrast light. However, grids can be useful if you’re working in a small space and need to minimise spill.

As I demonstrate in the video, you attach the grid to your octabox using the Velcro around the rim. When I then direct the octabox at my studio wall, you can see that the light is still soft directly in front, but gets harder on either side.

When I remove the grid, the light becomes brighter and softer, with a wider spread. If you have enough space that you don’t need to worry about spill, it’s a very versatile light source.

The light from an octabox 150 replicates light from a medium-to-large window. That makes it very versatile, which is why so many photographers rely on them.

One of the most popular uses of this modifier is portrait photography. The octabox 150 is great for high-quality soft-light portraits. It’s particularly useful for things like business portraits, when your subject is not a professional model and is perhaps not naturally photogenic. The light from the octabox is forgiving while still being strong and effective.

I often use the octabox 150 for fashion and beauty shoots, too. In this case, because I’m shooting with models who can handle higher contrast lighting, I’ll position the octabox a little more aggressively. For instance, in the so-called clamshell setup, the octabox is positioned above the model and angled down onto them at a 45-degree angle.

This modifier can also be great for food photography, again thanks largely to its ability to imitate natural light. Sometimes I even use it without the front diffuser. This reduces the size of the light source and therefore reduces the softness and homogeneity of the light, adding a bit more hardness and sparkle.