Light work

Shaping the light

1 Make your gobo

We drew and cut out the N-Photo logo from a cardboard box and then placed that over a Speedlight. When cutting we found it best to make the gaps wider than we thought because the light diffracts as it leaves the cutout, making the shape blurry on the wall behind.

2 Add a softbox

Designed by the master of flash and N-Photo columnist Joe McNally, this 24in softbox has barn door flaps to direct light and stop light spill, and its two-baffle system makes shadows flatteringly soft and diffuse. We used it to house our key light to illuminate our model Courtney.