{"id":33625,"date":"2016-01-10T21:33:22","date_gmt":"2016-01-11T01:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/?p=33625"},"modified":"2020-06-12T22:43:46","modified_gmt":"2020-06-13T02:43:46","slug":"bounce-flash-off-dark-ceiling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/bounce-flash-off-dark-ceiling\/","title":{"rendered":"Bounce flash off a dark ceiling"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Bounce\u00a0flash off a dark ceiling<\/h1>\n

A recurring topic on Tangents is how to bounce flash in pretty extreme situations.\u00a0With a\u00a0related article –\u00a0bounce flash outdoors with a reflector<\/a>\u00a0– I showed some images from an event at a New York restaurant.<\/p>\n

I intensely dislike direct, hard on-camera flash. Yet, this venue had all kinds of corners, and no place to effectively place off-camera flashes on light-stands.\u00a0The venue had an interesting ceiling. And with “interesting”, I mean tough. The ceiling was dark, with black panels at different angles. Here are\u00a0photos of the ceiling and walls, to give you an idea. Still, I wanted to see it it was possible to get great results, bouncing flash off a dark ceiling:<\/p>\n

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So I tried on-camera bounce flash anyway, listening to my own advice to just\u00a0be bold!<\/a>\u00a0And it worked (for the most part). I had to push the ISO to 3200 ISO for most of the duration of the party, to have enough light return from that tough bounce surface.<\/p>\n

The key to having great light from on-camera bounce flash, is in this simple idea: bounce flash into the direction that you want the light to come from.<\/p>\n

Here are several images to show the results. For more, check out:\u00a0John\u2019s birthday party<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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John, as he stepped out of the elevator into the arms of friends and family waiting for him.
\nCamera settings: \u00a01\/50 @ f\/4 @ 3200 ISO<\/p>\n

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Camera settings for both images: \u00a01\/100 @ f\/3.2\u00a0@\u00a02500 ISO<\/p>\n

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Guests listening to the toasts. Here I bounced off the wall and window to the my right, to get this type of directional light.
\nCamera settings: \u00a01\/60 @ f\/4.5\u00a0@\u00a02500 ISO<\/p>\n

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For detail photos of the food for example,\u00a0the black foamie thing<\/a>\u00a0came in ever-handy. With this I was able to let the light skim in from the opposite direction than what I am shooting from. This article explains a similar example:\u00a0wedding details &\u00a0bounce flash<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Summary<\/h2>\n

Hopefully these few examples will help push the idea that when you’re stuck with what appears to be a tough location, to try it anyway. Raise your ISO and open your aperture a bit, and try it.<\/p>\n

Don’t under-expose though. To see what your flash is capable of, do test shots at full manual power. Then you will have a better idea of your struggle, rather than by guessing if your TTL bounce flash is giving you all the juice it can.<\/p>\n

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Part 1:\u00a0Bounce flash outdoors with a reflector<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Photo gear (or equivalents) used during this photo shoot<\/h2>\n