A Look At The Glow Beauty Dish | Is It The Light Modifier For You? [Review]

We live in a day and age where there is certainly no shortage of light modifiers. Whatever the situation is you are shooting in, there is a modifier you can use to create the exact look you want. Many of us are familiar with the beauty dish modifier in general. They are typically used when the photographer wants to create a wrap-around look that is slightly more contrasty than a softbox. The Glow 28″ White Beauty Dish is no exception.

The Glow 28″ White Beauty Dish is made of aluminum and weighs in at 5lbs. The outside has a matte black finish, and the inside is white. It is 28″ in diameter and 9″ deep.

Like most beauty dishes, you need to purchase the speed ring that allows the dish to mount to your light source. I used the one that mounts to an Alien Bees 800.

What’s in the box

The Glow Beauty Dish comes with the sock diffuser and whatever speed ring you ordered with it and that’s it. It would be nice if it came with a case because it’s a bit cumbersome to carry without one. Additional accessories can be purchased for it, like the 30-degree grid that is pictured below.

• Soft beauty light for fashion & portrait photography
• More dramatic contrast & tactile feel than soft boxes & umbrellas
• No center hot spot
• Includes diffuser ‘sock’ for broader light spread
• Accepts honeycomb grids for extra beam control
• Interchangeable speed ring adapters
• Can be used with a strobe or Speedlight (Must purchase the desired mount)

For all of these shots below, I only used the Glow Beauty Dish; one light, no reflectors or anything else so you can see exactly what it produces. I thought the quality of light was great for the price.

Durability is my biggest concern with this beauty dish. The sock that comes with it is really cheap feeling. I didn’t even bother using it for fear of tearing it. The grid doesn’t feel that well made and I slightly dented it before I even got to use it. The dish itself also didn’t feel very sturdy. I had to bend it a bit to get the grid on it. I think this dish would be great for a studio shooter that doesn’t need to travel much with their equipment.

The Glow Beauty Dish produces great quality light for its price point. You can purchase the 28″ Glow Beauty Dish for $120 which is pretty affordable. However, if you need a grid and a case, the costs start adding up. They make three grids for this dish, and they come in 20, 30, or 40-degree increments. They are priced starting at $100 for the 40-degree grid. Overall, the price point is attractive. If durability isn’t a concern, this is a great starter beauty dish. You can purchase the Glow Beauty Dish Here.

As always you can download our free beginners guide to OCF HERE.