How MagMod has changed the way I work

MagMod has really been a game-changer for South African wedding photographer, Pritesh Nathoo. MagMod light modifiers and diffusers come in all shapes and sizes, offering a variety of tools for creativity with light. But, perhaps the best part is its smart magnetic design. This allows you to instantly attach them to your flash and shoot, hassle-free, in a matter of seconds.

MagSphere

The MagSphere is a compatible, one-size-fits-all system no matter what brand you shoot with and it’s easy to use. Before, Pritesh had used Velcro and elastic bands to attach gels and diffusers to his gear and, to be honest, they worked well until they fell off. Time and again, he had wedding guests hand him lost accessories that fell on the floor. That doesn’t happen anymore. Now, he can just focus on capturing that perfect image.

The MagSphere diffuses light better than any other diffuser he’d used. In fact, there were times when, even without any walls or ceilings to bounce off the light and having to direct flash straight toward the subject, the MagSphere still delivered – the result was beautiful diffused light. Since using MagSphere, Pritesh has never worried about harsh hotspots.

I shot this image using the Grid only. My assistant held up the flash just above the make-up artist, which was on the right-hand side of my camera.

I sat down on the floor behind the bride and used the mirror (in front of her) to get the image. The wall was white in colour, so I dropped my camera’s exposure to get the grey gradient look on the wall and used the Grid and Sphere to fill and soften the light.

MagGrid

Hindu weddings comprise of many detailed shots – from the bride’s dazzling jewellery, the parcel gifts and decor to the deity statuary. The MagGrid allows Pritesh to throw the light only on what he needs to so that he can keep the ambient light as natural as possible. Often times, he’ll combine the MagGrid with the MagSphere to add beautiful, soft light. And, when he needs more precise light falloff, he’ll also add the MagGrid.

MagBeam

The MagBeam is great for shooting wide-angle shots and, before, he used to Photoshop his assistant out of the frame. With the MagBeam, he had never had to do that again, saving plenty of time editing during post-processing.

Here, I placed the Beam and Grid on a stand maybe a metre on my side. The Beam can throw harsh light, so it was important to get the power output just right for that soft light falloff that did not leave any shadows behind the subjects.

Standing just to my right-hand side, my assistant held the flash. Using the MagBeam and Grid, I managed to capture the cene without seeing the flash fire in the image.

MagGel

Hindu culture is all about colour. Having the MagGels help to add that extra touch and the CTO gels are my favourite! Even if the dance floor lights up with crazy, neon colours, I simply correct them using one of the MagGels. Before, I had to correct each and every photo in Lightroom.