Indoor Extended Family Session with the Glow 60” XXL Softbox

You’re a natural light photographer. (That’s me!) You have an extended family session but it’s down-pouring rain outside and the session can’t be rescheduled…What do you do? Introducing the Glow 60” XXL Softbox! This massive 5’ octagon shaped light modifier gave me the natural looking light I needed for my style while being indoors.

Five Foot Massive Softbox

Looking at the photos of this softbox on Adorama’s website really doesn’t give you a true grasp on just how HUGE this softbox is! As soon as I unpackaged it and started setting it up I was shocked! And completely excited at the same time. I was totally geeking out on it and my family was rolling their eyes. Haha! 

The setup is very simple and fast. I was able to set it up by myself in less than a couple minutes. Cool thing also, once the light diffusers are attached to the velcro, you don’t have to take it off each time! So I leave them on which makes the setup that much faster. 

So you may be wondering why on earth I would buy such a huge softbox instead of just using the typical shoot through umbrellas that I’ve always used or even just a smaller sized softbox? Here’s why…I love soft lighting that feels natural with a light and airy look. Smaller softboxes and umbrellas are a smaller light source which doesn’t disperse the light very far or evenly which causes a lot of harsh shadows. But the bigger the light source, the softer the light and less harsh shadowing!

If you’re a photographer reading this post, here is a referral link (button below) to Adorama where you too can purchase the Glow 60” XXL Softbox! Just type “Glow XXL Softbox” in the search bar. (And yes, if you use this link I do receive a commission from Adorama) Also, at the bottom of this post you’ll find a quick diagram of how I set up the lighting scenario. I used a reflector to bounce a little bit more light to the left side of the frame. 

If you’re NOT a photographer reading this post, sorry for all the technical jargon! When it comes to camera gear, I tend to geek out about it… Just know I’m super passionate about photography gear and creating beautiful images no matter where I’m at and no matter what lighting scenario I’m facing! 🙂

A little bit about this sweet family, you’ve seen them appear often on my blog! This is the Green Family but this time with two very special guests, Grandma Miller and Uncle Tim! I haven’t seen them in years so it was such a treat getting to see them again and photograph them all together. I absolutely love the black and white portrait of Grandma Miller that you will see further down this post. If you’ve got family coming to visit, let this be a reminder to make sure and get some portraits done all together!! 🙂

large extended family session indoors with western decor
great grandma with her great grandchildren sitting on couch

The Lighting Diagram

diagram of lighting setup with the glow 60" xxl softbox and reflector

Here’s the lighting setup - Glow 60” XXL Softbox slightly to the right but still in front of the couch where my clients were sitting/standing. I was in the middle facing them straight on. Then I had my daughter hold the white side of my reflector to the left so some of that light could bounce back into the farthest edge of the image to soften that side a little more. It worked really well for this session!


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Jen Peterson

Hello There! I’m Jen, a wedding and portrait photographer based in Northern California. I love capturing the personal connections between my clients in a bright, fun, and creative way. 

http://jenpetersonphotography.com
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