© Martha Suherman – Image Credits

Photographer: @marthasuherman
Muse: @ash_barlly 
MUA & hair: @dero_mua_bc
Lighting: @broncolor
Location: @royaltulipgununggeulis
Supported:  @pmi_gear @dcprosg @captureone
Camera: @phaseonephoto
Video Production: @monsterart.productions 
Equipment Supplier (Indonesia): @primaimaging

During my twenty-five years working for the U.S. distributor of broncolor, I had the privilege of visiting the factory in Switzerland dozens of times

As Vice President of Sales, part of those visits involved meetings with our sales team and broncolor’s management. But the majority of our time was spent where it mattered most, in their studios, working hands-on with their extensive range of power packs and light modifiers.

One exercise remains particularly memorable. We were required to evaluate each modifier using broncolor’s well-known “Famous Five” framework: Coverage, Edge Transfer, Shadow Contrast, and Highlights. It was a disciplined way to analyze light, to move beyond “I like it” and instead articulate why a modifier behaved the way it did. (I’ll dive deeper into the “Famous Five” framework in a future post.)

Among the many modifiers I worked with, a few consistently rose to the top of my favorites list. The broncolor Para line of parabolic reflectors was certainly one of them, and for good reason.

       broncolor Para: “The choice of legends”

However, other reflectors also became my go to light modifiers.  These were their Beauty Dish and Softlight Reflectors.

At first glance, they appear similar. In practice, they are anything but. Understanding the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between them is where “beauty” stops being a buzzword and starts becoming a controlled, repeatable lighting strategy.

In the sections that follow, we’ll break down exactly what sets these reflectors apart, not emotionally, but optically.

Key Lighting Differences:

Broncolor Beauty Dish Reflector

• With honeycomb or a grid, you can narrow the beam for more controlled contrast and drama. 
• The white-coated interior and counter reflector produce very flattering, slightly softer fall-off specifically optimized for portrait and beauty lighting. 
• Light is directional, sculpting facial features with a gentle wrap and soft transitions — stronger modeling than a softbox but with softer edge behavior compared to a plain reflector. 
• The included diffusor further smooths shadows and highlights while retaining enough contrast for definition. 

Think of it as:

Portrait-centric light – directional enough to shape faces, yet soft and even enough for flattering skin tones.

Broncolor Softlight Reflector

• Produces a softer and broader reflective light than a standard hard reflector, but still more directional and crisp than a softbox. 
• Silver interior and reflector design give it higher output and a slightly punchier specular quality than white-interior reflectors. 
• Compared with the Beauty Dish, it generally delivers more overall output and can feel a bit “crisper” without being harsh. 
• Works beautifully with honeycomb grids to tighten beam angle and with a diffuser to soften shadows and “lift” highlights. 

Think of it as:

Soft with structure – closer to a classic reflector, giving you controlled light with pleasing but not totally diffused shadows.

How they compare in Practical Use:

Characteristic	Broncolor Softlight Reflector	Broncolor Beauty Dish Reflector
Interior Coating	Silver (higher specular return)	White (more diffused, flattering)
Softness of Light	Softer than normal reflectors, harder than softboxes	Directional soft light with flattering fall-off
Output / Brightness	Higher output compared to the Beauty Dish	Lower output than Softlight Reflector (but optimized for portraits)
Shadow Quality	Crisp shadows with softer edges (when diffused)	Soft, modeled shadows with gentle transitions
Best Use Cases	Portraits, fashion, food; flexible modifier with grid/diffuser	Beauty and portrait focused; sculpting faces with flattering wrap
Beam Control	Good with grid, can be tailored broadly or tight	Excellent with grid; more influence on directional wrap

Summary:

• Softlight Reflector – a higher-output, slightly more specular reflector that sits between traditional reflectors and softboxes, giving you a crisp yet soft look that’s incredibly versatile. 
• Beauty Dish – a portrait and beauty specialist that delivers directional, flattering light with soft fall-off and sculpting contrast, particularly suited for faces and fashion work. 

Both can be modified further with grids or diffusers to fine-tune contrast and shadow behavior to your taste – the key difference is essentially in interior finish and character of specularity.

Another unique modifier in the broncolor lineup is the Beauty Reflector for the broncolor Ringflash C. This reflector is specifically designed to mount directly onto the Ringflash C, a 3200 ws ringflash head that can be operated without its standard built-in reflector.

One of the defining features of the Ringflash C is the ability to shoot it “bare-bulb” by removing the factory reflector to expose the flash tube. This configuration allows the Beauty Reflector to incorporate a counter reflector, similar to broncolor’s traditional Beauty Dish and Softlight designs, creating a more directional and sculpted quality of light.

Because the required UV protection is integrated into the Ringflash C’s standard reflector, removing it eliminates that layer of protection. To address this, the Beauty Reflector for Ringflash C includes its own integrated UV protection when used in bare-bulb mode, maintaining safe operation while preserving the intended light characteristics

For photographers seeking even tighter beam control, a three-piece grid set is also available for the Ringflash C. However, the grid system cannot be used simultaneously with the Beauty Reflector, as they occupy the same mounting position.

The result is a ringflash solution that moves beyond the traditional flat, shadowless aesthetic, offering greater modeling, contrast, and control while retaining the distinctive ring-shaped shadow signature.

If you’d like to explore more in-depth discussions on broncolor lighting systems, modifiers, and practical studio techniques, you can find my additional broncolor blog posts here:

• 
  Beauty, Defined: What Sets broncolor Softlight/Beauty Reflectors ApartFebruary 23, 2026
• 
  broncolor Picolite – A System Within a SystemSeptember 6, 2023
• 
  The Trick to Vibrant UV Images : broncolor UV AttachmentFebruary 20, 2023