When traveling I often prefer speedlights as a light source for making portraits using one of the FourSquare kits available from Lightware Direct.
There are several options available allowing you to chose the one that works best for your kind of photography, including a 30 x 30-inch lightbank with a compact sleeve that fits inside any airline carry-on. Using the FourSquare block that’s in the kit you can mount from one to four speedlights inside to light your subject. Need more power? Center Mount Adapter allows placing a fifth strobe on the FourSquare mounting block.
The Swivel Adapter was designed for shooters that want to use one or more speedlights on the FourSquare mounting block and want to aim the flash’s infrared (IR) port directly at an on-camera controller. The Swivel Adapter permits a 360-degree rotation of the speedlight’s head allowing you to place its built-in infrared receiver at any angle but always aimed towards the camera for reliable triggering.
Spindle Extensions allow you to attach other kinds of lightbanks that have four poles and use a 6-inch speed ring to attach the FourSquare speedlight mounting system. Lightware Direct says Plume Wafer, Chimera and Westcott softboxes are compatible, excluding Westcott’s Apollo and Halo series where spindles are not required. It’s a well thought out system that deserves a look if your looking for something that’s well built and designed for travel.
For some more tips, tricks and techniques on creating studio lighting effects without spending the big bucks on gear, pick up a copy of my book “Studio Lighting Anywhere” from Amazon or your local camera store.
