Reflectasol and the DIY Softbox

Stuffed Starfish.
This is *NOT* made of chocolate!

Working through learning to use strobes, I've been using various combinations of hard strobes, paper reflectors, ceiling and wall bounces, and my old Reflectasol umbrella/folding reflector.

I never got the soft even light I was shooting for. Nothing seemed to get there for me. Until I can create it, I can't control it. I was about ready to blow some money on a softbox or shoot-through umbrella.

Reflectasol with a Cowboy Studio radio receiver
and Vivitar 2000 strobe

I was folding my Reflectasol up again and noticed that the reflector material could be removed from the frame rather easily. So I got an idea. What if I replaced the reflective materal, which sucks as a shoot-through, by the way, with some translucent material?

Would a white sheet work?

I pulled an old white sheet out of the closet and hung it on the now bare frame. It's not fancy, just a proof of concept. I threw a stuffed starfish onto my bed, set up the camera, and shot. The result is the photo at the top of this article.

Not fancy, but it works:

Reflectasol frame with an odd Regent strobe on the trigger
and one old sheet hung from the frame.

Soft, even lighting was the result. SWEET! Now I can confidently use this as a shoot through umbrella / softbox. And still switch to the reflector when needed.

UPDATE: I recruited my daughter to be a model. The setup didn't change between her and the starfish. But I have noticed I need more oomph than is available with that little strobe.