{"id":87,"date":"2007-12-13T21:34:19","date_gmt":"2007-12-14T02:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetneil.com\/tangents\/2007\/12\/13\/my-choice-of-flash-modifiers\/"},"modified":"2023-07-26T13:49:00","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T17:49:00","slug":"my-choice-of-flash-modifiers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neilvn.com\/tangents\/my-choice-of-flash-modifiers\/","title":{"rendered":"my choice of on-camera flash modifiers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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my choice of on-camera flash modifiers<\/h1>\n

There is a fundamental principle in lighting :\u00a0the larger your light source, the softer your light.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Using any of the myriad of flash modifiers that are on offer, helps in achieving that – spreading the light from the on-camera Speedlight much wider, thereby creating softer light that direct flash would’ve given.\u00a0\u00a0However,\u00a0(and this is a big however), these flash modifiers also throw light forward.\u00a0\u00a0Ultimately all flash modifiers do the same thing – they disperse a lot of light around the room, while throwing some measure of light directly forward to lift shadows under the eyes and bring a sparkle to the eyes.<\/p>\n

That is a huge step up from using direct flash – (or poorly bounced flash.. ie, flash at 45′ or 60′ forward) – but won’t be as good as directional light.\u00a0 Directional light falls onto your subject from a\u00a0specific angle.\u00a0 This direction can<\/strong> very often be carefully chosen even when you use an on-camera flash indoors.<\/p>\n

For this candid portrait of the ring-bearer, I touched up the WB in RAW, and that’s that. Simple, and it looks just great. The light is soft, and the little guy wasn’t bothered by any direct flash … since there was NO direct flash at all.<\/p>\n

The way I achieve directional light from my flash is by adding what is in effect, a half-snoot\u00a0on my on-camera flash.\u00a0\u00a0The half-snoot\u00a0(or flag) will partially block\u00a0the light, and also\u00a0direct it.<\/p>\n

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This piece of black foam around my Speedlight has two advantages:<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Directional light.\u00a0 I can now much more precisely direct where I want my light to come from.
\n2.\u00a0Less annoying to others.\u00a0In turning my flash to the side or to point behind me, I would risk blasting other people directly in the face with flash. This piece of black foam keeps that from happening.\u00a0 I now direct my flash over people’s heads, and I don’t blitz people in their faces with direct flash when they stand next to me or behind me.<\/p>\n

To further explain this, here’s a\u00a0video clip where I demonstrate how to use the black foamie thing<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to flag the light from your on-camera flash.<\/p>\n

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I also very often when shooting in tungsten light, use a filter on my flash to bring the cold light of the flash closer to the warmer tones of tungsten light.\u00a0I simply stick a piece of gel over the head of my\u00a0Speedlight with some gaffer’s tape.\u00a0It is low-tech, but it works.<\/p>\n

By gelling my flash for tungsten I\u00a0change the grungy orange backgrounds to a more pleasing warm tone.<\/p>\n

The gel used in the image of the baby above, was full CTS<\/a>.\u00a0 I keep my camera’s WB to Tungsten.\u00a0 And in post-production I fine-tune the WB, since by bouncing my flash, it picks up an additional color from the walls and ceiling.\u00a0 The gel shown in the illustration\u00a0here is 1\/2 CTS<\/a>.\u00a0 I then keep my WB of my camera to 3800 K, which is still\u00a0much closer to Tungsten, than the 5400K of flash.<\/p>\n

The black\u00a0half-snoot \/ flag\u00a0that I add to my Speedlight is just as simple.\u00a0 It’s a piece of thin black foam bought from an arts store, and then cut smaller.\u00a0I keep the piece of black foam tied to my Speedlight with a hair band that I stole from my daughter.\u00a0 Yup, low-tech and simple … and it works!<\/p>\n

It can also be manipulated and shaped<\/a>. Also check out this follow-up article on\u00a0why I chose a piece of black foam to flag my flash<\/a>, rather than using something white. And\u00a0that\u00a0is the flash modifier I most often use. Total cost is less than $2.00<\/p>\n

And there they are – the only light modifiers that I use when I use on-camera Speedlights.\u00a0In my work as an wedding photographer in New Jersey \/ New York<\/a>,\u00a0I often do use off-camera lighting, whether\u00a0Speedlights or Q-flashes.\u00a0 But with on-camera strobes, these are the only light modifiers I use.\u00a0 And they are all I really need when working indoors.<\/p>\n

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gelling your flash<\/h2>\n

Since I frequently gel my flashguns to turn the WB of my flash much warmer (usually for \u00a0Incandescent light),\u00a0I use these gels that I cut up and\u00a0<\/span>tape to the top of my speedlight\u2019s head<\/a>. One of these sheets (which aren\u2019t expensive), will give you a lifetime supply of these filters. For me, these gels are an\u00a0invaluable part of flash photography.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tape the gels down on your lens hood<\/a> when not in use.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tYou can buy gels through these affiliate links:<\/p>\n