You probably already know about the brand new, super portable Profoto B2. But do you know how easy it is to shape its light into something totally different? Here is how.
We’ve said it before – to shoot with the new Profoto B2 is to shoot with all options at hand. It can be used on or off-camera. It can be carried around or mounted on a stand and synced and controlled wirelessly.
Or, and here is where the real beauty is, it works with more than 150 Light Shaping Tools, allowing you to shape its already beautiful light into almost any light you can imagine.
In this article we will focus on the new OCF Light Shaping Tools. Scroll down to see how the Profoto B2’s light changes dramatically by simply adding an OCF Light Shaping Tool.
Swipe to the left to see an image shot with (in most cases) a bare-headed Profoto B2. Swipe to the right to see it shot with the OCF Light Shaping Tool in question.
Of, with no further ado, here are six simple ways to shape your Profoto B2’s light into something totally different! Enjoy!
1. Add a Grid
The OCF Grid Kit is a small and super portable kit consisting of a holder and three different honeycomb grids.
Attach any of the three grids in front of the Profoto B2 (or the Profoto B1) to reduce its light spread to either 10°, 20° or 30°. This gives you a direct, circular shape of light that can be used for many applications, such as accent or hair light, intriguing background effects or simply for controlling stray light.
The grids are easily attached in a matter of seconds. Each grid can also be used together with the OCF Snoot and the OCF Barndoor, thanks to a unique stacking system.
Swipe the image to see how using a grid reduces that amount of light on the background.
2. Add a Snoot
The OCF Snoot is a compact and portable Light Shaping Tool that drastically reduces the light spread.
The effect is a crisp and direct light with almost no spill light. The light has a beautiful, round shape, which can be used as hair light or any other application when only a small area needs to be illuminated.
The OCF Snoot is incredibly easy to use. You just snap it on the front of your Profoto B2 (or your Profoto B1), and in a fraction of a second, you are good to go.
The OCF Snoot is made of a strong glass fiber that makes it lightweight and extremely durable.
Swipe the image to see how adding a snoot pretty much eliminates the spill light.
3. Add Some Barndoors
The OCF Barndoor is a compact and portable Light Shaping Tool that gives you precise control of the light spread.
The four barndoors can be adjusted individually and the entire tool can be rotated 360° on the flash head, allowing you to control and shape light in an almost infinite number of ways.
The OCF Barndoor is made of a strong glass fiber that makes it lightweight and extremely durable.
The OCF Barndoor is easily snapped onto the Profoto B2 (or the Profoto B1), ready to be used in a matter of seconds.
Swipe the image to see just one example of the many creative uses the OCF Barndoors can be put to.
4. Add a Softbox
OCF Softboxes are softboxes tailor-made for fast and easy on-location photography.
Like any other softbox, OCF Softboxes create a soft and flattering light. But unlike any other softbox, they are made in a unique material that is both lightweight and easy to fold and unfold. Add to that the fixed diffuser, the patent-pending speedring and the color-coded rods. Put all that together, and you have a softbox that is faster and easier to set up than any other on the market.
There are four OCF Softboxes to choose from, each with a unique size and shape: strip, square, rectangular and octagonal. All four can be equipped with a Softgrid for even more precise light shaping.
Swipe the image to compare an image shot with and without a Softgrid attached to the OCF Softbox.
5. Add an Umbrella
Both sizes are available in white, silver and translucent versions. The silver versions create a very crisp and direct light with high light output, comparable with that of a hard reflector. The white versions create a softer yet direct light. The translucent versions create an even softer light and have a very wide light spread.
Optional diffusers are available for the silver and the white versions. An optional backpanel is available for the translucent version, which practically converts the umbrella into a softbox.
Swipe the image to see how an Umbrella Deep S Silver can be used to create like a little pool of light around a group of people.
6. Add a Collapsible Reflector
Working with a Collapsible Reflector is light shaping in its most uncomplicated form. They are easy to use, easy to carry and can be used for bouncing or diffusing sunlight as well as flash light.
Profoto’s Collapsible Reflectors are available in no less than ten different versions. Four types of two-sided reflectors are available: Silver/White, SunSilver/White, Gold/White & Matte Black/White. There is also a translucent screen available to be used as a diffuser. Each of these is available in medium and large.
Swipe the image to see the drastic, softening effect using a Collapsible Reflector as fill light can have.
For more information about the Profoto Off-Camera Flash system, please check our website.
If you have a question, please consult our B2 FAQ.