The Creative Light Recessed Front Softbox had no-brainer, color-coded set-up instructions, allowing us to put it together in about ten minutes.

In my experience, I've come across two types of lighting gear for the studio—cheaply made and inadequate, or well designed but pricey. Or in other words, if you want high-quality studio lighting accessories, prepare to pay through the nose to get them.

I'm happy to report that a company called Creative Light appears to have come up with a new category for light shaping studio accessories—simple, solid and reasonably priced. While Creative Light's line of attractive-looking softboxes, softgrids, speed rings, reflectors, umbrellas, lightstands and other accessories may not thrill you with their versatility, they're very well-made, easy to set up, and won't put a big dent in your studio budget. Nice to hear in these tough times, right?

I recently got a chance to try out some of Creative Light's products at the studio of David Dupuy, a friend of mine who I like to call "The Frugal Photographer" for his inventive ways of doing studio work on the cheap. (I worked with David on the " The $3,000 Studio" story in the January 2009 issue of PDN.)

David runs his photo studio right out of his two-bedroom apartment in the East Village of Manhattan and at times the scene there can be a little chaotic with stray models, make-up artists and roommates wandering through. Luckily the Creative Light (CL, for short) 2 x 3-foot Recessed Front Softbox ($175) we tried out had no-brainer, color-coded set-up instructions. In about ten minutes, it was built and attached to David's Dynalite strobe via the CL Speedring ($53). There's also a CL Flat Front Softbox but we preferred the Recessed Front model because of the subtle "barndoor" effect we got which prevented light spill.

Overall, the CL Softbox is very well made with a reflective silver lining, a removable interior diffuser and an external diffuser. (Unfortunately, the CL Softgrids were not available at the time we did our testing.) We got very soft, attractive light on our model with minimal shadows. We were easily able to eliminate those shadows while adding in the triangle-shaped CL Deluxe Gold 32-inch Reflector ($63) to the side of our model's face.

With a simple, spring-loaded design that makes it portable—good for outdoor shoots as well—and a padded handle, the Deluxe Gold Reflector bounced warm, natural looking light on our model, making our images virtually shadow-free. We also tried out a round Standard Gold 38-inch Reflector ($49) which we liked but given my druthers I'd go with the Deluxe model because of the helpful handle.

Umbrellas are standard studio fare and CL makes some decent ones as well. We tried out the 33-inch CL Umbrella White ($34) and liked the results but would have preferred a shoot-through option as well. David's current umbrella, made by Red Wing, allows him to peel back the white reflective side so he can shoot through it.

And that, in a nutshell, was our only complaint about CL's new lighting accessories: they're pretty limited. Though it would certainly increase the price of these budget-minded tools, we would've liked to have had more ways to modify the softboxes, reflectors and umbrellas. For instance, David's current Photoflex Reflector has a 5-in-1 design, letting him switch between Gold, Soft Gold, Silver and Translucent fabrics. Of course, that versatile Photoflex reflector sells for about $40 more than the CL Deluxe reflector.


THE BOTTOM LINE

Designed by photographers in Sweden, Creative Light's new line of light shaping accessories are top-notch tools for the studio at low-rent prices. While they don't offer much in terms of versatility, they're a great option for any photographer trying to save a few bucks without having to skimp on quality.

Creative Light

www.creativelight.com Pros: Well made light shaping tools for the studio at an affordable price; high quality materials; easy to set up. Cons: Not much offered in terms of versatility. Pricing: $53-$175