Let’s just say that I own a couple:) of softboxes…actually way too many and some haven’t see a strobe in months. Earlier this year I purchased Bruce Dorn’s Asymmetrical Stripbank for my portrait work and I couldn’t be happier.
“My search for the ideal Soft Box is over at last… With the interior baffle in place, the Asymmetrical Stripbank behaves like a conventional Strip; remove the baffle and the magic really begins. The output is directional, somewhat like a medium softbox with a grid, but with a unique asymmetrical feather. From contemporary brides to classical executive portraits; this light modifier offers a fresh new way to explore creative lighting. Get one and create your own inimitable style…” - Bruce
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I just counted the “soft box” modifiers that I own and below is the list:
1-Elinchrom Octa Light Bank, aka “Portable Sun”
1-Bruce Dorn’s Asymmetrical Stripbank 18×42
1-Chimera Super Pro Plus Strip Softbox 21×84
1-Chimera Super Pro Plus Softbox 36×48
1-Chimera Pancake Lantern Softbox with Skirt - Medium
1-Photoflex LiteDome Q39 12×16
1-Photoflex MultiDome Q39 Sotbox 16×22
4-Photoflex HalfDome2 Strip lights
Each of the above are used regularly but this post is about Bruce’s Asymmetrical Stripbank (AS from here foreword).
To keep it simple, I decided to list the reasons for choosing this type of modifier over my other options (above).
1. The “feather” from top (of bank) to bottom is beautiful, smooth and genius! Before I’d have to pivot my existing stripbanks up or down to feather the light then scrim back the spill.
2. No spill = no scrims or flagging.
3. The AS produces nice, feathered light whether I’m firing a 580EX II or a Pro7 head through it.
4. The supplied baffles allow precise control of softness or hardness. Sometimes I like the light narrow and punchy so I remove all of the baffles.
5. Since purchasing the AS, I now use my 6ft Chimera stripbank as an overhead hairlight or background light.
Overall, the AS is simple to setup, build quality is excellent (it’s just as easy to breakdown) and I will definitely be adding a second AS for an upcoming beauty shot project.
Thanks for reading and please feel to comment or post a question. JVS
