If you had to choose a single light shaping tool, you might do well to pick the Impact 7' Parabolic Umbrella (Black/White).

First of all it's a really huge, broad light source that wraps light around your subject yielding clean highlights and rich open shadows. But due to the special shape of the umbrella there's a unique mix of soft enveloping light with the kind of crisp detail you only get from reflectors. Put another way, if you combined a beauty dish with a softbox, you'd have a parabolic umbrella.

This umbrella has a unique design structurally as well. The shaft is reinforced for strength and instead of bendable metal, the 16 inner ribs are made of durable fiberglass. The fixed black backing ensures that all of the light output is on your subject instead of through the umbrella. You can also vary the light-to-umbrella distance along the shaft for a harder or softer look or for longer throw capability. With the Impact 7' Parabolic Umbrella less is definitely more.

The FA-300HS Triple-Flash Hot Shoe Adapter Mount from Impact allows you to mount, sync and fire up to three flashes from this single adapter. You can fire the flashes at full power for greater light output or, for faster recycle times, fire them at half power to conserve the energy. This unique adapter features a female 1/4"-20 thread for universal mounting, and may be combined with an umbrella or other similar lighting accessories (all sold separately).

The mount has a 3.5mm jack that allows you to use a sync cord to connect the adapter to your camera or wireless receiver. If you own an Impact PowerSync DC Radio Slave System or a similar wireless unit, you can fire them all with a single receiver attached to the adapter. While not designed for use with high-voltage flashes, you can mix and match flashes from most major digital camera manufacturers without issue - though the electrical requirements should always be considered beforehand.

This Impact Heavy-Duty Air-Cushioned Light Stand is a black anodized aluminum support that rises to a height of 9.5' and folds down to 42" for storage and transport. The stand will handle up to 22 lb and is topped with a removable 5/8" spigot with 1/4"-20 and 3/8"-16 threads. It has a wide footprint of 52" for greater stability. Air cushioning gently lowers the light when making height adjustments to protect equipment and fingers.

The Impact Umbrella Bracket with Adjustable Shoe is a versatile, lightweight metal bracket that will fit on almost any light stand. It includes a removable, reversible female stud to adapt to light stands with top studs smaller than the standard 5/8". An additional removable, reversible male stud mounts to the included flash shoe at the 1/4"-20 end, or to another accessory at the 3/8" end. The metal shoe features a knurled locking knob for secure mounting of all standard shoe-mount flashes, including the Nikon SB-900 and SB-910.

A receptacle with its own locking knob accommodates an umbrella which may be tilted to the angle of your choice via the bracket's locking joint. Umbrellas larger than 45" in diameter are not recommended.