TCGirl has used an external flashgun, bounced off the ceiling, for her Christmas pictures. It's a bit trickier than it may sound, because angles and distances may vary all the time as you move, but as you see, it makes for much nicer and softer light than direct flash.
EO, I'm about to buy a flash and wonder about something. Taken these pictures taken by TC, what would you expect to have been the difference in bouncing the light off the ceiling vs. using a diffuser to spread the light out? Do you think they'd be vastly different or sort of simular?
ReplyDeleteDiffusers have been talked about here in your blog, but not bouncing light..
Thanks
I don't have all that much experience with flash.
ReplyDeleteI think you'd need a lot of samples to get an overview, seeing as both techniques can vary widely.
With a diffuser you're not dependent on being in a smallish room with light walls.
Look at videos for samples, I did a quick search here.
Tell you what, Tommy; perhaps, before you go out and spend a couple of hundred(?) on a flash, I'll make that diffuser that Eo has pointed to and see what ends up happening w/that. And...I'm going to be talking w/my local camera shop re: diffusers for my D40 & D80 to see what they recommend for it. Also looks like Nikon has one. Will need to price that.
ReplyDeleteAnd...will also need to look a little closer at the hand-made diffuser. I would like to look further at the materials, etc. Will get back to you and try to replicate the environments/subjects and do another test round on same. I guess the 3 of us (at least) can discover together. :-)
Hehe, my first flash (a Sunpak), thirty years ago, was about twenty-five dollars!
ReplyDeleteSmall thing, couldn't even tilt.
But it was not even the smallest... I wanted a bit more power!
It was not automatic, either, I had to use the aperture to set exposure, based on distance.
TC " I guess the 3 of us (at least) can discover together"
ReplyDeleteThanks, that's an excellent idea. I do remember some time ago the subject of making one. I hope that I can find it and take another look at that.
Tommy said...
ReplyDelete"I hope that I can find it and take another look at that."
One of them, that Eo pointed to, was this one.
I also saw another but can't remember if we were pointed to it or I found it in my own "wanderings" on the subject, recently. I shall go look and see if I can find it, again.
Yahooy!! I FOUND the bugger!! :-) here it is!!
ReplyDeleteThere is a search field on upper left on the blog.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it fails for god knows what reason. Then one can google:
site:eolake.blogspot.com fong
Tommy...Eo mentioned something, that reminded me of something I was going to mention to you re: getting a flash: at least for my Nikons (D40 & D80), the SB-600 has been really nice to work with, so far. The one thing I really remembered liking was the versatility of the lighting options; something that I think is a little bit lacking with just a diffuser. I only noticed one "drawback" w/the SB-600, so far: I tend to "drop" my camera to the left, when doing a portrait shot and...the SB-600 can't swivel to certain angles working in that direction. It's just a limitation that I have to remember and [gasp] have to learn to adapt to...by turing to the right, instead. Just a little feedback from my own limited experience w/it, so far.
ReplyDelete