Black foamy thing with magmod - any tips?

Sold5

Two great inventions but how can they work together? Do any of you use the BFT on flashes that have the bulky magmod silicon piece? It's too slow to take off and put back on the camera so I've had to stop using the BFT lately and I miss the control it gives. Any tricks to using both together?

Sold5

I just had another look through Neil's videos on how to use the BFT and it looks to be on the underside of the flash most of the time. I shoot almost exclusively landscape format when using flash so maybe best to just put the BFT in place on the underside of the flash and work away with it?

dbruno

Hi - I shoot events with on-camera flash, and use the BFT all the time. From watching Neil's videos, and through my own experience, it is used to keep any direct flash from hitting your subject. A lot of the time, it will be on the underside of my flash, because I set myself up to bounce behind me; the BFT then keeps the flash from blinding anyone behind me. But, if I am bouncing off a surface to the side of me, I move the BFT to the side of my flash closest to the subject. The flash bounces forward to my left or right off the surface I am using, but the BFT blocks the rays of light from spilling out and hitting the subject.

Dave

CanonJay

Dave is correct! You have to constantly slide it around the flash depending on the orientation of the camera. As Dave stated, the purpose of the BFT is to keep the subject from seeing the flash tube directly. It is a flag and the surface you bounce off of is the main light source and that determines the direction of the light. I know there is a modifier that Neil has on here that makes it easy to spin the BFT. (which is not foamy anymore) Lets call it the Black Plastic thingy:) I always wanted to try it. Ahh. I think its the Spin 360 or something like that. 

-Jay

dbruno

Spin Liight 360. A hundred dollars. I know it has different attachments, but that to me is pretty pricey.

Sold5

So how about having a permanent one inch lip all around the flash as the magmod rubber me and I can't slide the foam around easily? Would this be a good compromise?

Neil vN

I can't really imagine a reason why you'd add the MagMod Sphere (or the Fong Dong) to a Black Foamie Thing as a flag. They do different things. 

The starting point should be ... what do you want to achieve with your light?

THEN you add the necessary light and light modifiers. 

Also, give this video clip another look:

review: Best light modifiers for on-camera flash

Sold5

Thanks Neil however I'm not thinking of using the magmod stuff with the black foamy thing at the same time, just looking for a way to use the BFT without having to remove the magmod grip which is slow to attach to a large flash. BFT where it works best then the magmod bounce or sphere at other times. Do you think putting a BFT on a flash with a magmod grip can work OK?