{"id":1146,"date":"2009-06-07T02:38:07","date_gmt":"2009-06-07T06:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.planetneil.com\/tangents\/?p=1146"},"modified":"2020-06-13T19:36:46","modified_gmt":"2020-06-13T23:36:46","slug":"on-camera-flash-light-modifiers-remove-the-plastic-diffuser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/on-camera-flash-light-modifiers-remove-the-plastic-diffuser\/","title":{"rendered":"On-camera flash light modifiers? Remove the plastic diffuser cup!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Choosing on-camera flash light modifiers<\/h1>\n

One of the things I always emphasize if you want to achieve the best results from your on-camera speedlight, is to be aware of the direction of light from your flashgun.<\/p>\n

When you know which direction you want your light from your flash\u00a0to come from, then the simplest way to figure out what direction to bounce your flash towards, is to consider the simple geometry of it all.\u00a0 Yup, triangular geometry from your days in\u00a0primary school.\u00a0 And from Science class in high school, you can also consider the Angle of Incidence = Angle of Reflectance.<\/p>\n

The key here is not to think of your speedlight as being\u00a0your light-source anymore, but of the area that you’re bouncing flash from, as being your light source.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Now, looking at this image where the bridesmaid is\u00a0lacing up the bride’s dress, you can see that the light from my flashgun comes from behind where the bride is standing.\u00a0 To achieve this, I flagged my flashgun<\/strong> so that no direct light from my flash fell onto the bride’s dress right in front of me<\/a>.\u00a0 Doing this enabled me to have more light fall on the bridesmaid behind the bride.\u00a0 In other words, I sent more light to the subject in the background than the foreground.<\/p>\n

Bouncing off the wall like this, gives form and shape and dimension to my subject.\u00a0 You can see that the light on the bridesmaid’s face is directional.\u00a0 It isn’t flat.<\/p>\n

To achieve these two things;
\n– directional light (that is also soft),
\n– lighting my subject in the background more than the foreground,
\nwould be\u00a0impossible with the generic plastic light modifiers that can be purchased.<\/p>\n

You simply can’t achieve this kind of effect with on-camera flash while plonking a piece of (over-priced) tupperware onto your speedlight.\u00a0 A plastic light modifier on your flashgun would’ve given a more direct-flash look as well.<\/p>\n

The usual plastic light modifiers that are added on top of the flashgun would throw too much light on the foreground, and less on the background.\u00a0 In other words,\u00a0the bridesmaid kneeling behind the bride would’ve been less well-lit.\u00a0 You’d get an entirely different look to the light with one of the usual light modifiers.\u00a0 Especially so when working in close proximity to your subject, those flash modifiers will give you\u00a0more of a\u00a0 direct-flash look.<\/p>\n

Instead, the better way to use an on-camera speedlight here, is to figure specifically\u00a0how I want light from my flashgun to\u00a0fall\u00a0onto my subject.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\"On-Camera<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>
\n\t\t\t\t\t

On-Camera Flash Photography – revised edition<\/h2>\n

This book is explains a cohesive and thorough approach to getting the best from your on-camera speedlight.<\/p>\n

Particular care was taken to present it all with a logical flow that will help any photographer attain a better understanding of flash photography.<\/p>\n

You can either purchase a copy via\u00a0Amazon USA<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Amazon UK<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0or can be ordered through Barnes & Nobles and other bookstores. The book\u00a0is also available on the Apple iBook Store, as well as Amazon Kindle.\nAlso check out the Amazon Kindle store.<\/p>\n

Learn more about\u00a0how\u00a0the cover image<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0was shot.\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>

<\/div><\/p>\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

While shooting indoors, my best advice to improve the results from your on-camera speedlight when there are surfaces to bounce your flash off :
\n– throw the tupperware away<\/strong>,\u00a0and then
\n– consider the direction you want your light to come from<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This will give you images with soft, directional light – and no tell-tale sign that on-camera flash was used.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Related articles<\/h2>\n