{"id":95493,"date":"2023-07-07T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=95493"},"modified":"2023-07-20T14:51:00","modified_gmt":"2023-07-20T18:51:00","slug":"beauty-dish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/beauty-dish\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use a Beauty Dish"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019ve heard it before I\u2019m sure: as photographers, we write with light. This, of course, can be any type of light. Very often, when we begin our journey, we rely on natural light, and eventually move to shaping that light with tools such as reflectors and silks. Next comes the classic if inevitable softbox and umbrella. Each gives us a greater ability to shape the light to fit the images we have in our minds-eye. As we refine our skills and style, we gravitate towards more specific light shapers, those able to help us unlock our visions. If that vision is beauty, fashion, or portraiture, a beauty dish<\/strong> may be the tool to help get you there.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>What is a Beauty Dish?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A beauty dish is a pan-shaped reflector, with a flat(ish) back and steep walls. The shape of the beauty dish is its most important aspect. A small circular piece of reflective material (the deflector<\/em>) is mounted in the center of the dish about 3-4 inches in front of the light source. While they can range in size, a standard beauty dish is around 20-25 inches in diameter. Traditional beauty dishes were made of metal and fall into a category of light shapers called hard reflectors. This doesn’t mean the light from the dish is hard, but rather the materials that make up the dish are. Over the past decade, a number of collapsible-style beauty dishes have been made, allowing us to take this amazing light shaper with us wherever we go.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>When and Why to Use a Beauty Dish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why would you choose a beauty dish over a hard reflector like a Magnum<\/a> or a softbox? A beauty dish creates a style of light that is difficult, if not impossible, to create with any other light shaper. Because of its unique shape and use of a deflector, the beauty dish allows us to create hard-style light that is remarkably even with no hot spots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is incredibly valuable for beauty photography as the hard light is perfect for shaping the face. The even falloff of the light ensures shiny makeup will glow but not become an overexposed highlight. Many fashion photographers love the look of the beauty dish. It can be used as a primary source when placed 6-10 feet away from the subject, creating punchy-but-even light that casts hard shadows to shape the subject and clothing.  Or it can be used in combination with large soft lights to bring a little more punch to the overall image. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo by Daniel Norton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Another popular use of the beauty dish is by portrait photographers looking to provide that  \u201ccelebrity\u201d look to their clients. Let\u2019s face it, most photographers are using the same softboxes and standard lighting positions. Sometimes having a cool tool to add flavor to the session can really help the subject feel special. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>How to Choose a Beauty Dish<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some of the questions you will need to ask are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n