Collapsible V-Flats—The Secret is Out!
Review by Gilmar Smith
One of the biggest mysteries in the photography industry is where to buy those V-flats that you see in photography studios. It’s like you have to be part of a secret gang to know how and where to get them. You may be able to get the two giant pieces of foam that you need, but then you have to own a car that’s big enough to fit them, and then you’ll have to tape those two pieces of foam together to build the V-flat. Yep, it sounds like a lot of work!
Recently, in my quest for V-flats, I stumbled upon V-Flat World on Instagram, so I sent them a private message to get more info about their products. I got to talk to Tuvy, the owner of the company, and he told me he was just starting out and had been in business for just a few weeks. A few weeks passed, and bam!, I started seeing those V-flats everywhere—B&H, Adorama, and many colleagues started posting about them. It seemed as if everybody felt like me when it came to V-flats, but the secret was now out and everybody wanted to get them.
Before I go deeper into this story, let me tell you what V-flats are and the multiple ways you can use them. They’re made from two large pieces of foam usually around 6–7′ tall that are connected together in a V shape. One side of the foam is white and the other side is black. You can use the white side to bounce light, or as a reflector; the black side can be used to flag or cut light. You can also use either side as a background.
The regular V-flats I’ve seen in studios are huge, and even though I’ve always wanted to get a pair, I had no idea how I was going to fit them in my old Jetta. V-Flat World’s simple and genius idea has come to the rescue: Their V-flats are collapsible. They come in a cute little bag, they fit easily in my car, and I can take them everywhere! I’ve had mine for a little over a week, and they’ve already traveled with me to shoot on location, and I’ve used them several different ways for shoots in my home studio. ■