Sony Diaries #1033: What's in my (lighting) bag?

Taking portrait photos is about capturing photons and I'm not ready to cede control of my lighting to the availability of natural or existing light at any photo location. At the same time, I realize that taking full control of lighting requires a closet-full of lighting gear. So I have to strike a balance: augment the existing light with my light, or vice-versa. Regardless of the ratio of existing to added, the added light should not call attention to itself.

In a previous blog post, I detailed my set-up for a group portrait. The setup here is for portraits of from 1-5 people.

The heart of this package is the Westcott Rapid Box Octa-S, and a Godox TT685S with a Godox X1T Transmitter. The two clips are for securing the reflectors to the light stands. And then there are the batteries.

In portraiture, a black reflector reduces or blocks out unwanted light, both quantitatively and qualitatively, falling on your subject, helping to accentuate the contours of the face and body. A white reflector does the opposite, "throwing" light into an area. The Neewer kit is a 5-in-1, with black, white, silver (more specular light effect), gold (adds warmth), and a diffusing material (for diffusing harsh light sources such as the direct sun).