video clip – using the black foamie thing

93 Comments »

1. 

   Thank you, Neil. I must admit that I have fiddled with my BFT when shooting vertical and, despite the wealth of blog entries here (and even your mention of the BFT in your B&H video), I was never confident that I was positioning it correctly. This clip clears it up, especially seeing how the BFT is often rotated to keep flagging the flash.

   Well done!

   Glenn

         Comment by Glenn K. — March 8, 2011 @ 7:52 pm

2. 

   Awesome, thanks Neil! I gotta start using 2 hair bands, details, details :-)

         Comment by David Holmes — March 8, 2011 @ 7:52 pm

3. 

   Do you have a pull back of the room? I’d love to see how big the space was, and what/where your light sources were.

   Thanks for the helpful tips on the foamie thing!

         Comment by Leanne — March 8, 2011 @ 8:14 pm

4. 

   Leanne .. I don’t have a pull-back shot. The area we shot in was the large open consultation room of my friend’s studio. The changing ambient light, and flashes of light during the video clip was from trucks passing by, reflecting light into the studio. The light we used for the video clip was just the ambient light coming through the blinds of the shop-front. The ceiling was higher than an average home’s ceiling would be. That’s about it. Nothing extra-ordinary about the area.

   Neil vN

         Comment by Neil vN — March 8, 2011 @ 9:03 pm

5. 

   Hey Neil,
   I totally love the video blogging. It’s a great step in the right direction. it really helps us to connect with you.

   I’ve been using the black foamie thing forever and just love it. It’s so versatile and helpful. Thanks so much for writing about it so many years ago.

   Luke

         Comment by Luke Brookhart — March 8, 2011 @ 9:45 pm

6. 

   Good to finally see how to use this technique. I think I’m going to try the felt option, it looks so easy. Thanks guys.

         Comment by Matt W. — March 8, 2011 @ 9:52 pm

7. 

   Interesting. I found a great alternative about a year and a half ago. I started using a beer koozie but the round snoot it created still threw light forward. The back side of the snoot would light up and be enough to cause a strange catch light. I decided to cut the “back” side of the koozie out so the part of it that stuck past the flash looked like the BFT. Since it has it’s own built in band it rotates upon the flash head easily and doesn’t come apart like the hair band and the BFT does if you are not careful.

   I use the thin black neoprene koozies you can find at any trade show or gift shop. I acutally ordered 100 for dirt cheep with my logo. I’ll never need 100 but I can give out the rest to clients.

         Comment by Dan Rowe — March 8, 2011 @ 9:57 pm

8. 

   First-rate video, Neil — thanks so much. The difference between the images is obvious, but it might be cool to A/B the shots to really show the contrast.

   Martin

         Comment by Martin Beebee — March 8, 2011 @ 10:12 pm

9. 

   Great stuff. And now with the Out-takes, both educational AND entertaining.
   Keep up the good work.

         Comment by Greg B — March 8, 2011 @ 11:23 pm

10. 

    Thank you for the video blog. Seeing how you use the BFT in action helps me understand how to use it more effectively. I especially like the comparison image, so we can see how much difference the flag makes compared to the direct/bounce flash.

          Comment by Karl Boettcher — March 8, 2011 @ 11:46 pm

11. 

    This video is excellent in demonstrating the use of the BFT and showing what an image looks like without the BFT. A picture is worth 1000 words, so the saying goes.

    I love the outtake video. You need to add the “beep” between outtakes. :-)

          Comment by Stephen — March 9, 2011 @ 12:03 am

12. 

    Finally! I know what your accent sounds like now! I can rest easy now… ;o)

    Thanks again, Neil, for sharing the love and paying it forward. I always wondered if I was doing the BFT thing right, and apparently I am! Woo-hoo!

          Comment by Sarah Cutright — March 9, 2011 @ 1:06 am

13. 

    Neil,

    I’ve read about this on your blog many times but the video helped me understand it more than I have in the past. Thank you for taking the time to share this.

          Comment by Jeff Cleveland — March 9, 2011 @ 2:08 am

14. 

    That video was fantastic. I find watching video more helpful many times than the written word because it’s just so much clearer to see a technique in action than to read and imagine what it’s like.

    An outstanding video of a most important item. The black foamie thing has a cult following and this should add to that legend.

    Thank you for this Neil.

          Comment by Tom K. — March 9, 2011 @ 3:22 am

15. 

    I laughed so hard at the outtakes video I might have woken up the neighbours. I like your post processing, it almost looks like a painting but not quite. Nice model btw :)

          Comment by Karel — March 9, 2011 @ 3:28 am

16. 

    Great video Neil, keep them coming.

          Comment by Michael — March 9, 2011 @ 3:28 am

17. 

    Loved the video Neil and agree with the others that say you should make more. I read this blog daily and really enjoy it. I have learned so much from you. Thank you

          Comment by John H — March 9, 2011 @ 6:49 am

18. 

    Thanks for the video Neil. I was wondering if you have a shot with no flash. It looks to me like the lighting from the live video is close to lighting from the still shots with flash.
    Thanks again

          Comment by Josh — March 9, 2011 @ 7:50 am

19. 

    Josh .. Clicking through to the linked image will show the same photo without flash – just to give you an idea of the total effect of the on-camera flash. I chose my settings such that the ambient light didn’t register much. It’s at least 3 stops under-exposed compared to the flash.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — March 9, 2011 @ 8:04 am

20. 

    Thank you so much for your reply, Neil! Appreciate the extra info!!

          Comment by Leanne — March 9, 2011 @ 8:49 am

21. 

    Very nice, Neil. Similar to the guy in the other video, I use velcro strips on my black foam. That lets me also use the foam as a regular flat flag for the times I use a speedlight as an accent light.

          Comment by Bill — March 9, 2011 @ 9:42 am

22. 

    Hi Neil…what’s creating the distinct catchlight in her eyes in the image in which you used the BFT to flag direct flash hitting her face?

          Comment by Frank — March 9, 2011 @ 11:40 am

23. 

    Frank .. that catch-light in your subject’s eyes will be there almost predictably so, if you bounce your flash like this. The entire motive behind the direction that I bounce my flash here, is that I am mimicking using an off-camera softbox. And if you positioned your softbox (or whatever light source) carefully while in the studio, you would get those catch-lights.

    Same here with bouncing my flash like this. If you follow any link provided in the article, you will see those catch-lights. Specifically, check this post on bounce flash and catchlights.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — March 9, 2011 @ 12:10 pm

24. 

    Thanks for the video Neil!

    BH Photo has a video presentation titled “Just Gimme the F Stop” by Neil Vn, for some great information on using on-camera flash w/ the black foamie thing.

    Look for it in the video section of the website.

          Comment by Mike — March 9, 2011 @ 1:09 pm

25. 

    Great article. Finally some footage to look at the black foamie usage.

          Comment by George — March 9, 2011 @ 1:27 pm

26. 

    Love the out-takes, very funny!

          Comment by Helen — March 9, 2011 @ 1:30 pm

27. 

    Enjoyed the video and hope to see more on your blog. I was wondering what were your camera settings – aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance setting and were you shooting in JPEG or Raw?

          Comment by John Spoltore — March 9, 2011 @ 2:30 pm

28. 

    John, as mentioned, the camera settings were: 1/250 @ f3.5 @ 400 ISO
    I used the flash in TTL mode, at a ‘zero’ EV … which in my experience with the Nikon D3 and SB-900 works out to be at -0.7 FEC, since I find that the D3 + SB-900 combination tends to over-expose by 0.7 EV for ‘average’ scenes.

    White Balance was set to Cloudy since I am using bounce flash … but this is immaterial to a large extent because I am shooting in RAW … which brings us to your next question.

    RAW vs JPG

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — March 9, 2011 @ 2:35 pm

29. 

    Neil, All I am going to say is THANK YOU!!!, You Rock Bro!!!

          Comment by Adrian — March 9, 2011 @ 2:40 pm

30. 

    Neil, I like video clips. It is more than a blog of thousand words! I have just ordered your second book from Amazon. I must still wait 20 days until it gets in Belgium!
    I have learned a lot from your site and used the BFT a few years.
    I already knew how it works but for a lot of us they will understand it better when they see it.
    I hope you keep on making this video’s so whey can learn more
    Thanks thanks thanks!!!

    Evert

          Comment by Evert Thomaes — March 9, 2011 @ 2:44 pm

31. 

    Thanks for the video!! Nicely done!
    Karla

          Comment by Karla De Smedt — March 9, 2011 @ 3:52 pm

32. 

    Hi Neil, here is how i adapt your foam to me.

    http://www.daniperezfotografia.es/wordpress/para-fotografos/como-mejorar-la-iluminacion-con-el-flash-sobre-la-camara/

    Hope you enjoy it

          Comment by Daniel Perez — March 9, 2011 @ 4:40 pm

33. 

    the video is well done and I did watch your out takes (welcome to the world of video!), we all fiddle with getting it right when doing stuff like this. I really liked the video and also the one from the guy in TX.

          Comment by Sheri J — March 9, 2011 @ 5:44 pm

34. 

    Neil – I thought at one point you noted why you chose to NOT use a (very) short snoot to accomplish the same thing that the BFT does. I couldn’t find it. Could you add it to this entry or the original ‘text’ entry? I think that completes the article. When I read this entry, I thought, ‘If all we’re trying to do is to prevent direct flash falling on the subject, couldn’t we also use a short snoot? That way we don’t have the problem of having to adjust the BFT position…’ Thank you for all you do :D

          Comment by Adrian — March 9, 2011 @ 5:45 pm

35. 

    Hi Neil
    This is excellent !
    You should do more videos..it certainly worth more than 1,000 words.
    I am waiting eagerly for your books…still in transit.

    Thanks

          Comment by William Ng — March 9, 2011 @ 7:04 pm

36. 

    Hi Neil,

    Great video! A few questions…

    What tickled Anelisa at around 2:05 so that she almost laughed? :-) She has a beautiful smile! Can understand why she is one of your favorite models.

    The next question is meant in a constructive way. That means, buckle up your seat belt first, before reading on! Kidding :-D

    I noticed the stills in the video, appear a little less saturated, than when shown on your blog, is this due to the video software not liking an embedded adobe colour profile? if so, for future videos, would it help to produce sRGB versions of the stills, for video use?

    Definitly keep the blooper reels! thank you for really made me smile, (as mentioned above) bleeping the words could be a good idea? suitable for all.

    I think Jim’s “Felt” idea is good, wonder how it would hold in windy conditions?

    Lastly…

    Can Anelisa feature in future videos, is there a petition I can sign? :-D

    Once again, great video!

    PS: Unless I’ve missed it, are your UK dates finalised yet?
    Thank you,

    David

          Comment by David — March 9, 2011 @ 7:21 pm

37. 

    Hi there David …

    I don’t recall what made Anelisa laugh at that point. The entire session with her was for three hours, during which we shot this video clip, as well as two other sequences I photographed (stills only) for blog postings here later on. And we’ve worked together often … so there’s an easy and casual way how she and I work together. Lots of laughs.

    Why the video should be so much desaturated, I don’t know. It probably has to do with compression that Vimeo applies to the clip to bring it down in size so that it can be streamed. The images shown here are in sRGB and my workflow is in sRGB, so that won’t explain the desaturated appearance of the video.

    UK dates .. hopefully in the next week or so.

    And regarding the beeping of some words in the out-takes. I don’t think it particularly bothers anyone. And if it does … fukkem.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — March 9, 2011 @ 7:27 pm

38. 

    Thankyou Neil ! Awesome (as usual) ! :)

    Which focal length are you using on the flashgun ? (a long one, like 100 mm I suspect ?) Or you leave it in auto mode ?

    Is there a lot of difference with respect to a full snoot (provided your bouncing spot is far enough from the subject) ?

    Thanks
    Simone

          Comment by Simone Paoletti — March 9, 2011 @ 7:33 pm

39. 

    Simone … I usually keep my flashgun zoomed to the tightest focal length when I bounce flash like this. With the SB-900 it is the 200mm zoom setting. With the Canon 580EX II, it is 105mm. Whatever is the longest.

    I’ve tried some attachments that create a full snoot, but the problem here is that enough light is reflected from the “lip” of the snoot when I bounce my flash half-forwards like this, that it gives a direct flash look.

    I like the piece of black foam. As you can see, it is all crumpled up and mangled. I can stuff it in my pocket when I don’t need it.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — March 9, 2011 @ 7:38 pm

40. 

    U rock neil! Love the video idea.

          Comment by Dave — March 9, 2011 @ 7:42 pm

41. 

    Sorry about the typos, in my post above…

    Wish there was a way to edit submitted posts, or have a post preview button, showing how the text will appear in the blog, before final submission.

    I find (possibly due to dyslexia) the blog font easier to read than the (courier?) “Leave a comment” text box entry font.

    Any chance you could use the same font for both? Or change the “Leave a comment” courier font to a sans serif font, something like Verdana?

    Thank you,

    David

          Comment by David — March 9, 2011 @ 7:47 pm

42. 

    David … I’ll get my web-techie guy to have a look at that. I also want the comments font size to be the same as the main text. So I’ll bookmark this for an update.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — March 9, 2011 @ 8:08 pm

43. 

    What an awesome video Neil, thanks for sharing such an articulate and clear video! It definitely works better than just words. Your articles and tutorials in this website have helped me tremendously in my work, be it shooting fashion or weddings or just events. Once again, huge thanks.

          Comment by Paul — March 9, 2011 @ 10:32 pm

44. 

    Hi Neil,
    Thanks for sharing this video with us – just makes everything so much easier to follow – love the bloopers.
    Cheers, P:)

          Comment by Pasquier — March 10, 2011 @ 1:46 am

45. 

    GREAT stuff Neil! Super glad that you took the time to do this and I hope it’s the first of many. A picture tells a thousand words, imagine how the message comes across as a video :)

    Nice

          Comment by Michael Sharman — March 10, 2011 @ 9:06 am

46. 

    …and the Oscar goes to “OMG” Neil van Neikerk for the Black Formie Thing (BFT)the movie. Great video. Blessings, Gregory

          Comment by Gregory — March 10, 2011 @ 10:28 am

47. 

    Hi Neil

    You rock man. Your tutorials are so great and they are helping me so much with flash photography. Yhe bft works amazing. Could you start giving us some more video tutorials pls.

    Thanks

          Comment by Victor Cachia (MALTA) — March 10, 2011 @ 1:10 pm

48. 

    Neil….Your short clip on the Black Foamie Thing was really great….Please do more of these short videos….Thanks for all you do in helping us amature photographers becoming better….

          Comment by CHUCK — March 10, 2011 @ 3:26 pm

49. 

    Hi Neil

    Fantastic. This short clip is better in everyway than 95% of the “educational” stuff out there. This should be a chapter in a full lighting dvd (hint hint).

    You’re the full package: – book – tangents – forum – video – feedback. When combined, in my opinion, provide the most complete learning experience on the web.
    Again, Thankyou.

    For those new to tangents, remember to read through the comments after each tangent. The amount of valuable information and knowledge that can be found there is priceless.

    Outtake video – Is it “it is” or “I am” (followed by a long period of contemplation). Gold!

    Regards
    Chris

          Comment by Chris F — March 10, 2011 @ 6:48 pm

50. 

    Hi Neil, I noticed that when I tried using the black foamie thing because there’s not direct light from the flash hitting the subject there is also a lack of catchlights, yet when I see your examples there is always a catchlight in the eyes. Am I missing something?

    Cheers,
    Bernard

          Comment by Bernard — March 10, 2011 @ 8:09 pm

51. 

    Bernard … I suspect you’re bouncing your flash so that the light comes in at too steep an angle. You really have to think about it as placing a studio softbox. Then the catch-lights in the eyes will be there, nearly predictably.

    Post some examples on the Tangents forum, and let’s have a look.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — March 10, 2011 @ 10:30 pm

52. 

    Great video keep them coming. Wondering what equipment was used for the shhot. Was it a video recorder or the now popular digital camera that is able to take video ??
    When I attended your workshop 2 years ago in Hoboken I was introduced to the black foamy thing. I recall that it was attached to the TOP of the flash head yet in the video it is attached to the bottom. Is that a change in technique ?? Have you thought of using the felt material as featured in the second video ?
    I received your second book, OFF CAMERA FLASH. A portion of the book is taken from your PLANET NEIL blog that I read every week with a passion. You have put together a great book and I am approaching that AH-HA climax !
    To bad that you could not have covered the new Pocket Wizard Nikon units that are now finally shipping. I am awaiting for your review on these units that add to the Nikon experience. I am also awaiting your Pocket Wizard video shoot from Vegas.

          Comment by ron lemish — March 11, 2011 @ 7:26 am

53. 

    Ron … the video was recorded with the Canon 5D mk2. Audio via a Sennheiser EW100 G2 wireless microphone set.

    Re the Black Foamie Thing … ever since the first mention here on the Tangents blog in 2007, it has been on the under-side (predominantly) of the flashgun. It doesn’t make sense to place it on top, since it really is all about controlling the direction of light. Positioning is all important.

    Re the PocketWizards .. the material in both my books are presented with the idea that the technology we apply is just another layer, and that most important of all, is that we understand the techniques behind flash photography and lighting. Then we can use what we know with (probably) any of the technology that will come later.

    As such, neither book was ever intended to be a button-by-button instruction manual.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — March 11, 2011 @ 11:05 am

54. 

    This is amazing, thank you for this idea! Excelent! It’s very funny the last video, superb post! You are the best!

          Comment by Aniversari — March 11, 2011 @ 1:01 pm

55. 

    Thanks for this! Look forward to more video tuts as well. Great job! Anelisa looks great in video too. :)

    On the black felt recommendation: Due to my inability to navigate a craft store, I had actually picked up black stiffened felt on my first search for the BFT. But still attach it with black hair bands. Stiffened felt is very easy to slide around on an SB unit, as opposed to felt, and in practice has been even quicker than velcro. (For me, anyway.)

    Appreciate the outtakes too. Hilarity.

          Comment by Josh Liba — March 11, 2011 @ 5:45 pm

56. 

    I’ve been using the BFT for the last couple of years and love it. I was intrigued by the suggestion to use felt, so I went to the local Michael’s store and picked up some regulr felt as well as the stiffened felt I discovered there. However, I found that both of these alternatives were not completely opaque, i.e., there is still some light coming through, whereas the foam is completely opaque. Would love to hear from anyone whose using it what type of felt they are using if they’ve managed to find a completely opaque version.

          Comment by John — March 13, 2011 @ 8:17 am

57. 

    Hi Neil! You just made helped me narrow down on which light to buy as a starter (among speedlight and strobe). Considering the severe cash crunch and desire to do varied experiments, i was really struggling on which one to go for which can solve lighting problems in every situation at least to a bare minimum level. Thankyou so much for this wonderful post. Keep up! :)

          Comment by bimal nair — March 21, 2011 @ 2:50 am

58. 

    Hi Neil,

    How about a White Foamie Thing (WFT)? Would the color of the “thing” make a difference?

          Comment by MrL — March 27, 2011 @ 3:09 pm

59. 

    MrL .. there’s a specific reason why I don’t use a white bounce card or white piece of foam.

    You also have to keep in mind that the black foamie thing isn’t a diffuser. It’s a light modifier, but only in the sense that you block the light / flag the light. Nothing more to it.

    But where the black foamie thing is different from the generic / plastic light modifiers and diffusers, is that it isn’t a cure-all for flash problems. You absolutely have to consider your direction of light, and what exactly you want to achieve with your flash.

    It’s a super-simple device, but it isn’t simple in its application. You *have* to think about direction and quality of light. And that is where it shows its real value, in my opinion.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — March 28, 2011 @ 7:33 pm

60. 

    Hi Neil .. I have been checking out your tangents for sometime now, and all i wanna say is that the photographs you have taken are just magnificent, maaaagnificent, your shots just stands out. Love your work

    I have a question though.. Im an amateur in photography but i know the basics .. how do you take your photos so clear and sharp?

    and im kind of upset since upon editing my photos it looks different in some monitors. is there any technique of saving the images?

    Thanks

          Comment by Mike — March 29, 2011 @ 1:50 pm

61. 

    Hi! I just wanted to thank you, yet again, for wonderful demonstration and for being so candid!! I just love that you’re not only willing to share the good, but the bad…which is really funny and endearing! Please don’t ever change!

    Thanks!

          Comment by Heather M. Smith — March 30, 2011 @ 6:25 pm

62. 

    Hi Neil

    Thx for the video – it was good seeing you demonstrate. I know you have shown in photographs, but the video just gave an added dimension.

    An aside: Living in Australia, never having the opportunity to meet you, and following your blog for years it was also good hearing the accent that went with the face. Also knowing how to pronounce your name – silly I know.

    Thanks for your generous advice. Look forward to getting your new book

          Comment by Cheryl Mackie — March 30, 2011 @ 9:51 pm

63. 

    Neil,
    I’m surprised that you have such nice catch lights in the eyes using the BFT. Did only the bounce flash create them? Very nice work and thank you for sharing. Rock on.

          Comment by Rocky — March 31, 2011 @ 2:58 am

64. [...] video clip – using the black foamie thing articles [...]

          Pingback by Cherrl & Jim – their wedding day – stills and video fusion clip « Neil vN – tangents — April 1, 2011 @ 10:58 am

65. 

    Hello Neil,
    I am already using a white foam reflector to bounce off of walls and ceilings and still throw some light directly toward my subject. Could this white foam also be used in the same manner in which you use the black foamie thing?

          Comment by Glenn Drennen — April 1, 2011 @ 11:02 pm

66. 

    Neil,

    Great video (and the rest of your blog– I’ve learned tons from it over the last two years or so.)

    Every time I think about the black foamie thing, I consider using a short snoot or one of the honl Velcro grids instead. I haven’t experimented with them yet, but could you comment on how the black foamie thing would compare to either? I suspect with the snoot/grid, you would get less spill behind you, but that shouldn’t matter too much and with either the grid or short snoot, you wouldnt have to reorient the flag as you moved around. Thoughts?

    Thanks!
    -Ben

          Comment by Benjamin D. Bloom — April 8, 2011 @ 4:45 pm

67. 

    I see there is another (and way bigger) problem when you have your light bouncing the wall AND leaking from on camera flash directly to the subject. It’s different temperatures. And no matter if you gel your flash or not – it is there. Because the wall always has non-neutral grey color – a gel over the flash will make your light warmer or cooler (depending on specific gel used) but will never give you the same color cast as the wall has. So, the wall has it’s own color cast (correctable in RAW workflow in most cases) but when walls’ color cast is mixed with direct flash (having no color cast it is basically corrected for warmth) we have a wild mixture impossible to be corrected in normal RAW post.
    Effectively, we have two light sources of different colour. That’s the biggest problem.

          Comment by Denis — April 8, 2011 @ 9:05 pm

68. 

    Just made my first BFT! excited to be using at my wedding today! thanks for all of the awesome awesome blog postings!!!
    HH

          Comment by Holly Haddad — April 16, 2011 @ 10:48 am

69. 

    Daniel Perez, a photographer in Spain, explains (in Spanish) how you uses the black foamie thing. He also has an explanation of how he made his, attaching it via removable velcro strips.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — May 27, 2011 @ 6:11 pm

70. 

    Nice outtakes ;) I’ve been meaning to experiment with a BFT with a white (or partially white) inside. I invented the “Chickenflash” (a.k.a. FUF, a.k.a. FU Fong) not too long ago. It’s a latex glove with a balloon inside. Downfall is that, after it’s attached, there’s three layers of latex that I feel block too much light, wasting power and slowing recycle time, and it’s difficult to keep attached (it likes to fly off around the room, like a chicken that can fly). I’m a big fan of $2 solutions though.

          Comment by Ron — August 10, 2011 @ 9:30 pm

71. 

    Hi Neil,
    I have been following your blog and purchased your book as well. Your teachings have had a large effect on my photography. One question . . . when using the black foamy thing for a wedding or event, my cameras hot shoe becomes loose from all the twisting and turning. I do tighten up the screws but it seem like a matter of time before permanent damage is done. Is there any special way that you reinforce the hot shoe? Larger screws? super glue? all of the above? . . .

    Thanks
    Dave

          Comment by Dave Hanney — August 19, 2011 @ 8:08 pm

72. 

    Dave … I am going to take a wild guess here that you’re shooting with Canon? The Canon hot-shoe has a tendency to come loose with lots of use. You could use some Lock-Tite on the little screws.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — August 27, 2011 @ 5:44 am

73. 

    Neil,

    I notice you do not use a flash bracket on your camera. i just got my first ttl flash and purchased a bracket with a sync cord as well. Using the bracket when I turn the camera vertical I can adjust the flash to still be over top of the camera as opposed to the side. Is this even necessary or is attaching it to the hot shoe directly and using the black foamie thing all that needs to be done. Also does this make any difference for outdoor vs. indoor.

    Daniel

          Comment by Daniel — September 19, 2011 @ 11:02 am

74. 

    Daniel .. I think all your questions about the flash bracket, and how the black foamie thing works with or without a bracket, are answered in this article on flash brackets.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — September 22, 2011 @ 5:41 am

75. 

    Hi Neil,
    I finally sourced a local supplier which stocked ‘black foamie thing’ material……with a minute or two of trial and error it’s working 110%.
    For followers of the Neil’s blog who live in Australia, I found Clark Rubber had the goods, 3mm black Closed Cell Polyethylene Foam. I bought a sheet of 1×2 feet for 5 dollars.
    Thanks Neil for all your help.
    Peter

          Comment by Peter Marin — September 23, 2011 @ 4:35 am

76. 

    Can I just say…. COOL POST!! Not only because you posted the detailed video for the black foamie thing AND it’s uses but also because you posted the additional video for velcro and felt. YOU ROCK Neil!!

          Comment by Jenn — October 27, 2011 @ 8:54 pm

77. [...] of how I use the “black foamie thing” to give directional light to my bounce flash video clip – using the black foamie thing Simple as that. Now the flash is controlled and would only hit the shutters (and part of the [...]

          Pingback by Guestblog Niel van Niekerk « Frank Doorhof — November 29, 2011 @ 1:02 am

78. 

    You might be surprised to know I am writing to you from Bangladesh, a small south-Asian country! Do you know about us? Neil your BFT idea is like, I would say, a revolution to me. Lots of thanks for the tip. I have one simple question and that might also occur in minds of many who read this article. The Bft, should it be a real foam (the ones found in the market in usually 10-15mm thickness, not completely solid and should be able to pass light) or should it be a solid sheet of rubber, something what a tyre is made of?

          Comment by Hasib — December 11, 2011 @ 1:30 pm

79. 

    The material that I use for the Black Foamie thing, is thin foam. You buy it in an art supply store. The foam is about 2 or 3 mm thick. Definitely not as thick as 10mm and most definitely not something you could use as a car tyre!

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — December 16, 2011 @ 12:29 pm

80. 

    Neil, I’ve got two of your books, and found them educational. Thank you and congratulations!

    Tried doing a BFT but don’t know where to get the foam. Thus, used a thin, black mouse pad, cut it, super glued the velcro with the rough side on the outer part so as not to scratch the flash. Since the smooth part is inside, it is easy to twist around. Here’s a shot of my version of BFT ==> http://t.co/gbdymGZh

    And my test shots ==> http://twitpic.com/7v17g1

    Again, thanks so much for sharing!!!

          Comment by Gina — December 18, 2011 @ 1:31 pm

81. 

    Hey Niel
    I tried this at Christmas with great results on some pics but on others I had light fall off. An other words, the light at the top of the frame was well lit but as you looked down it got darker and darker. Any ideas what can cause that? Wrong tilt on flash? Too short a BFT? Not sure here.

          Comment by Joe — December 29, 2011 @ 12:41 pm

82. 

    Joe .. post a photo or two to the Tangents forum so we can see what is happening there.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — December 29, 2011 @ 11:55 pm

83. 

    Hi Neil. Excellent and instructive. Is there any reason why one should not line the BFT with some white foam or some foil to push a little more light onto walls etc?

          Comment by Simon Hickie — December 31, 2011 @ 11:02 am

84. 

    Why I would use a light modifier that is black.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — December 31, 2011 @ 12:53 pm

85. [...] Fortunately, Neil reveals all in his many blog posts. He is always talking about the direction of light. Light that comes from directly above the subject is frequently too flat, too boring, too… unremarkable. Photography is all about shaping and painting with light, and it is possible to do that, even with an on-camera flash. The secret? The infamous Black Foamie Thing. [...]

          Pingback by The direction of light | John Jay Li — January 18, 2012 @ 11:43 pm

86. 

    This is great, but what do you do if there isn’t a conveniently placed and correctly coloured wall to bounce the light off?

          Comment by Des Kodur — August 14, 2012 @ 10:51 am

87. 

    Then you will just have to find your way around that limitation / challenge.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — August 15, 2012 @ 4:02 am

88. 

    Hello Tell from what it stelana – black foamie thing?

          Comment by Mihail — January 28, 2013 @ 9:48 am

89. 

    Great video. Thanks for sharing

          Comment by Rod Arroyo — March 17, 2013 @ 11:50 am

90. 

    Holly crap, after watching the video I get it, I really get it. Love it. I have had your book in my wish list for a while, time to order.

          Comment by Carey — April 4, 2013 @ 12:09 pm

91. 

    Can you please state the size of the foam you use ? I’m not native english speaking and I just can’t understand what you say in the video about inches (I have to calculate to cm / 1 inch = 2.54 centimeters). Thanks in advance.

    PS: I using FoamRubber/CreaSoft from wwww.KnorrPrandell.com (1 sheet ~1.20€):
    http://www.creativehobbiesgroup.com/moosgummi_platte_30x45_cm_2_mm/crea_soft_moosgummi_~8432619

          Comment by Motombo — April 9, 2013 @ 4:05 pm

92. 

    Hi Motombo;

    I have the piece around 19cm [7.5 inches] x 14cm [5.5 inches] which fits an SB900 flash, giving around 5cm [2 inches] hanging out from under front lip of flash but there is still plenty left to bring it out further still.

    The width of 19cm fits perfectly around bottom of flash and covers the sides of the flash with a just a very small amount going onto the top of the flash, around 8mm each side.

    Trev.

          Comment by Trev — April 10, 2013 @ 12:13 am

93. 

    I have the black foamie thing at around 5″ x 7″ big. But it isn’t exact. And I often roll it back, or slip it down the speedlight so that it is just a short lip of black foam that flags the flash.

    Neil vN

          Comment by Neil vN — April 12, 2013 @ 3:29 am

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Filed under: flash photography,technique,video clip — Tags: black foamie thing, bounce flash photography, flash photography, flash photography tips — Neil vN @ 7:27 pm