Beauty Dish vs Parabolic Reflector (What No One Tells You)

Beauty dish vs parabolic reflector — what’s the real difference in how they shape light? In this video, I compare a beauty dish (silver vs white) against a focusable parabolic reflector (Parabolix 35D) to show how each modifier affects contrast, shadow depth, and overall dimensionality in portrait photography. You’ll see controlled, side-by-side tests using consistent framing so you can clearly understand how light changes between each setup — including spot, medium, and flood positions on the parabolic. This is a practical breakdown for photographers who want to understand not just which modifier to use, but why the results look different. 🎓 Want to Go Deeper? The Academy with John Gress → https://johngress.com/academy Model: https://www.instagram.com/valerianellj/ 📸 Gear featured: Lighting: Parabolix 35D (89cm) Parabolic https://www.parabolixlight.com/product-page/parabolix-35D-package Elinchrom Softlite White Beauty Dish Reflector (27.6", 64°) B&H https://bhpho.to/3etOUn6 Elinchrom Softlite 27" Reflector (Beauty Dish) 64 degrees - Silver B&H https://bhpho.to/3MMhJcl Elinchrom FIVE Amazon https://amzn.to/3Um6V61 B&H https://bhpho.to/3LcypYZ Glow ArcLight II Curved Reflector Kit (24 x 58.5”) Amazon https://amzn.to/43F9dEy Camera: Canon R5 Mark II Amazon: https://amzn.to/4cJZyir B&H: https://bhpho.to/3Yc4YyB Canon BG-R20 Battery Grip for EOS R5 Mark II Amazon https://amzn.to/3B3Bg5f B&H https://bhpho.to/3XJFyaT Canon RF70-200mm F4 L IS USM Amazon https://amzn.to/2Z4GOd5 B&H https://bhpho.to/3HkgKNY Grip: Kupo Offset Arm Amazon https://amzn.to/2DlleEz B&H https://bhpho.to/3HxgP0T Studio Titan Camera Stand STA-01-360 MK2 B&H https://bhpho.to/3cf4RfL Studio Titan Rack & Pinion Geared Crank Stand STA-06-200 Studio Titan https://studiotitanamerica.com/collections/shop-lighting-stands/products/sta-06-200 B&H https://bhpho.to/44Bj1y9 STUDIO TITAN AMERICA Double Beam Boom Arm (10.2’) B&H https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1874091-REG/studio_titan_america_05_031_large_double_beam_light.html/BI/22160/KBID/28702/kw/ST05031/DFF/d10-v2-t1-xST05031 Click here for a full list of all the gear I use in the studio - https://johngress.com/gear/ Disclosure: This description contains affiliate links. If you use them, I may earn a commission — at no additional cost to you. Chapters: 00:00 - Introduction 00:58 - Old Test 02:59 - Beauty Dish Comparrisons 03:30 - Parabolix Comparrisons 04:06 - SIlver Beauty Dish v. Spot 04:32 - SIlver v. Medium 04:43 - Silver v. Flood 05:03 - White v Flood 05:18 - Silver v. White v. Flood 06:46 - Clamshell 07:04 - Short Lighting 08:01 - Final Thoughts Hashtags: #PortraitLighting #BeautyDish #ParabolicReflector #StudioLighting #PhotographyTutorial