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Photographer's SupplyStation Softbox setup page #2

The SoftBox - Setup Instructions
	One of the most beneficial lighting accessories ever invented is the softbox. The soft, mellow, virtually shadowless light gently beautifies your subject - be it person or product! On people, the soft light of the softbox subtly hides the lines and wrinkles on the faces of portrait clients, making them look younger and more vital than they really are (that's why folks pay photographers, y'know:). Sometimes we want harsh, direct lighting and the hard shadows it casts. But for many of our subjects, we need something else. The soft, diffuse light provided by the softbox. It's fabulous for people, and for objects and products, the magnificent softness of the light greatly improves them as well, bringing out delicate, beautiful, details, and it reduces any reflections or "hot spots" on shiny or reflective surfaces. Truly fabulous lighting for jewelry, clothing, cameras, and virtually any other item you can think of. However, setting up a new Softbox - while a quick and easy task for the pro, beginners often find their very first attempt at assembling their new softbox can be a real challenge. So we've posted these setup instructions to help new photographers get their new equipment up and running.
First, unpack and lay out the contents of the Softbox Carrying Case, and follow the instructions below.

	Step #1: Unpack your new Softbox and find the ring that serves as both the part that attaches the Softbox to your light, and as the holder of the four metal rods that serve as the form to stretch the Softbox fabric over. So set the ring on the ground as illustrated above, and place one metal rod into each of the four sockets on the ring as illustrated above. Be sure to insert the rods with the plastic rod covers pointing up.   Then, move down to step #2
	Step #2: Place the Softbox fabric over the ring as illustrated above, and put one metal rod into each of the four "pockets" sewn into each corner of the Softbox fabric. The illustration above shows only two rods properly inserted into the fabric, but put one into each of the four corner pockets.   Then, move down to step #3
	Step #3:  Now here's the part that most folks have trouble with; once the rods have been inserted into all four corners of the fabric, you must them push each of the four sockets on the attachment ring down until it is parallel with the ground. As you push the rod sockets down towards the ground, you'll hear and feel a "click" that signals that the socket is locked into place. This will stretch your Softbox fabric tightly over the rods, and once all four sockets are locked into place, as illustrated above, your new Softbox is assembled and ready to go! When disassembling the Softbox, pull each socket on the ring outwards, which will unlock them, and allow for quick and easy disassembly.
Once the Softbox has been assembled, attach one or both of the white fabric screens, and attach the Softbox to your light. See the section below for a view of the inner workings of the Softbox.
And finally, here's a view of an older Softbox, showing how how you can use two fabric screens. You can use the Softbox with only the outer screen attached, or, as shown below on the right, with both the outer screen and the optional inner screen. Most modern softboxes don't come with, or use, inner screens. Time marches on. Now go make some wonderful images or videos with your new Softbox! Still need help? Don't miss out softbox video production, on the main Softbox help page.

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