Shoot-Through vs Reflective Umbrella

One of the first pieces of kit that you will want to invest in when you start to do off-camera flash work is a nice umbrella. The umbrella is a type of modifier that can change the way the light from your flash looks like when it hits your subject. The reason why the umbrella is one of the first modifiers that people buy when they are starting off is that umbrellas are versatile, fairly compact and easy to use. There are two types of umbrellas - shoot-through umbrellas and reflective umbrellas. This short guide will run you through the two basic types of umbrellas that you will run into, what the benefits are of using one over the other and my personal recommendation as to which type of umbrella you should get as your first umbrella.

Shoot-Though Umbrella

Shoot through umbrellas are made with a white, translucent material and sits in between the subject and the flash. The light from the flash hits the shoot-though umbrella, where it is defused, and a softer light hits the subject. Shoot-through umbrellas are great for times when you want a portrait with soft light and soft shadows. Because the umbrella sits in between the flash and the subject, you can place the umbrella very close to your subject. This give the effect of having a large light source, giving you a much softer light. The light also wraps around your subject more, leaving smoother shadows.

One of the downsides of using a shoot-through umbrella is that the light is not too directional, The angle at which light leaves the shoot-trough umbrella is naturally larger, making it a little bit harder to control compared to the reflective umbrella (the light is still relatively easy to control, once you get the hang of it).

Reflective Umbrella

The reflective umbrella is usually made out of a metallic material, sometimes lined with a black backing. The flash is positioned away from the subject, pointing towards the umbrella. The light hits the reflective surface of the umbrella, where it bounces back towards the subject. The light that comes from the reflective umbrella is naturally a little harsher than the light that comes from a shoot-through umbrella, giving you picture with more contrasts and more defined shadows. The slightly harsher light is created due to the metallic backing of the umbrella, the concave position that the umbrella is in (which gives you a directional beam of light) and because the umbrella sits a little bit further away than the shoot-through umbrella.

Shoot-Through vs Reflective Umbrella

Bellow are two photos, one shot with a reflective umbrella and the other with a shoot-through. The difference may not be too noticeable at first, but you will find that the shadows casted by the reflective umbrella are a lot more solid than with the shoot-though. The shoot-through umbrella produces a softer light that wraps around the edges of the subject a little more.

Which Umbrella Should You Get?

When you're first getting started, I recommend going with a shoot-through umbrella. a lot of people are after soft light for portraits, and the shoot-through offers that. Umbrellas are relatively cheap, which means adding a reflective umbrella to your arsenal down the line shouldn't be too costly. I also recommend starting off with a 42''-45'' umbrella as it sits in the middle of small and large umbrellas. This size will give you the versatility for doing head shots as well as full body portraits.

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