Canon Flashes

[JerryPH]

errr Jerry I am sure you mean something slightly different to what your implying in your post

Nah, I meant that if he is was considering walking around the place "ghosting" everywhere with a 15-28 inch (small/medium) softbox... to reconsider that. He would be *so* in the way of the pro doing their job it would be quite rude and he would look a little ridiculous trying to do so by himself.

Walking around "Uncle Bobbing" for experience, well... the B&G obviously have final say and that should be cleared with them. Done with their permission and with respect and keeping out of the way of the pro photographer that the B&G are shelling out big bucks for, is the ideal situation.

People with cameras at weddings are becoming more and more common, and there is nothing wrong with that... what should be clear is that the B&G have decided who will be taking the main shots for THEIR wedding, and they are paying heavily for it. Just becuase one is a friend or invited to the wedding is not permission to play "pro photographer" and potentially ruin or interfere with the hired professional. There has to be some respect for the B&Gs decision and their very important day. I am not saying the OP would do this, but running around with a softbox during this event sure doesn't mean he is there to participate in the wedding but trying to profit from the experience in the improper manner. The RIGHT way is to mentor with a professional and walk in as a 2nd photographer under the tutilage of said professional.

 

[Overread]

can you even hotshoe mount a 15inch softbox on to a flash?
at that size I would expect the shooter to have to use a flashbracket in the very least - 28inches and I think we are well into the lightstands area.
Certainly not saying that they are not worth investing in, but certainly for mobile work they are getting rather too much onto the big side 5*7 inches of the standard lumiquest softbox - whilst not as diffused as with the larger boxes - is certainly a step in the righ direction and not too big to get in the way (though it certainly gets noticed) - and its good if your in an area where you can't bounce the flash (wrong wall colour or outside for example)

 

[rufus5150]

Small ones are useless, all they do is reduce light power without really diffusing or increasing the apparent size of the light

There is a small subset of cases where this isn't true. if you're in really close on a subject, these tiny softboxes do actually soften quite nicely over the raw flash head. Very limited subset and not at all useful in a wedding, but when I'm lazy and don't feel like setting everything up, I'll grab the softbox and my ettl-ii cord and place it REALLY close to my subjects and shoot that way. It's way softer than the raw flash. Back it up a foot and no, you're just losing light.

 

[JerryPH]

can you even hotshoe mount a 15inch softbox on to a flash?

The question should be... can you place a 28" softbox on a monopod and have it give superior light and still be able to hold with one hand and a camera in the other? That would be even a little more out there further than a 15", but even that, yes, very easily possible.

I own one of those 28" ones that is made for a single battery powered flash and fits in any place an umbrella would, and it works very well on a monopod. I've also seen this in the hands of a pro (with and without assistant)... VERY nice results.

This is just not appropriate for a wedding guest to be using, IMHO. Could they? Yes.

If, however, you were the hired pro and saw this... how would you feel? Most pro photographers have an exclusivity clause, and I bet that if they saw that, would ask for a private conversation with the B&G and that would result in a conversation with someone being asked to put it away.

Anyways, most of this is, though based on common sense, is all conjecture and the bride and groom have final say.