New Flash and Softbox for Christmas

Like most hobbies photography can be expensive.  There are many things on my wish list and only a few that are really affordable.  Strobes are a necessity for any studio shot and I love the quality and price of the Flashpoint II strobes.  So when I got some extra money for Christmas I decided it was time to get another strobe.  I already have a battery back and beauty dish so I decided on the Flashpoint II 320M Monolight Kit, 150 Watt Second, One Monolight Kit with 9.5′ Black Light Stand and 24" x 36" Softbox kit.  I figured this was a great addition to the equipment that I already had.  Plus the price of the kit was less that a speedlight.  The box arrived within 3 days and I was excited to use it!

Softboxes are not always the easiest things to assemble the first time and this day was no exception.  The first time I put it together the poles didn’t line up and what should have been a rectangle looked like an oddly bulging square.  Second attempt was a charm.  Not so bad really it just takes a little bit of muscle to pull the box into shape.  Once the softbox was assembled it was easy to twist onto the strobe and within 30 minutes I was flashing pictures.

Above is one of my first test shots with the new strobe and softbox.  Special thanks to my son for being a test model!