Are brackets necessary?

Does anyone shoot weddings without a bracket? As far as I can tell from what

I've read, the only negative to turning the camera sidewase without a bracket,

is that the flash turns as well, which could cause some sideways shadows.

 

I've got a canon 30D and 580EXII.

peter - I bounce my flash 90% of the time, and use a gary fong 4% of the time, and use direct flash 1% of the time (usually off camera for dramatic sidelighting).

 

in my book, a bounced flash shot looks a lot better than a flash bracket shot.

If you have consistently good conditions for bouncing your flash you can get by without one. I've always got my main camera in a "Camera-flip" style bracket. My other camera goes without the bracket and I'll also use that to play with a slaved speedlite that is hand-held or positioned on a stand.

BTW, both cameras have an omnibounce positioned at 45 degrees unless I'm shooting outdoors in daylight.

Many people shoot weddings without a bracket--people who bounce the flash most of the time or don't use a flash. Many people also shoot weddings with a bracket, even with bounce modifiers. Whether or not you use a bracket is up to you. How often are you shooting vertical with the flash direct and functioning as main light indoors? If not often, then does it matter to you if that small percentage of images have side shadows?

I use direct flash in the sanctuary before and after the ceremony. This includes the processional, kiss, and recessional. I like to get portrait shots so I don't have every single guest in every shot, and the shadows on the back wall or ceiling are unacceptable. If you can bounce your light off an 80' vaulted ceiling you've got a lot more power than I do, that's why it's direct in the church. I usually keep the flash on the bracket for everything else, but most of the time I'm bouncing at a 90 degree angle with a stofen type diffuser. So unfortunately, I think the answer is yes, a bracket is necessary, if you don't have one you need to shoot landscape and crop the image which is what I used to do, it's really not that bad of a solution.

As Ryan mentioned - there are alot of instances when you CANNOT bounce your flash. In those cases a bracket is essential unless you want some very ugly shadows!

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We use a CB Junior bracket that does "flip" from horizontal to vertical.

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Hi Peter, if you overhang a small white card over the flash (instead of the built in one) use a rubber band to fix to flash, you can then use to same effect when camera and flash is flipped vertical, just move the card to narrow side of flash when it is vertical, no side shadows, just bounce. I should patent this and make millions :-)

Works just fine.

Your card still doesn't solve the problem of ugly shadows behind people when the ceilings are too high to bounce.

No it dont Russ, but if shooting indoors it does work for Fill in vertical, better than full on flash. also most places at wedding receptions are not too kind for bounce flash due to the colours in the room, this way you bounce off the white card instead of a dull, or coloured ceiling.

Howdy!

 

A LightSphere with a cap softens shadows considerably indoors. I use direct flash outdoors.

 

Granted, a bracket will make some of your pictures look better. On the other paw, I have never tried a bracket that is not an absolute PITA. No brackets for me, thanks.

 

Later,

 

Paulsky

I've just purchased a bracket + the Pentax hot-shoe adapters and cable. Should have 'em delivered tomorrow and will be doing some tests immediately.

 

I've been getting reasonably good results with the Demb Flip-It! Pro accessories (bouncer and diffuser panels). But I'd like to do better. With the bracket, I'll be able to use both the built-in flash (as a master) and the strobe on the bracket (as slave). I will continue to use the Demb, and I'll probably continue to bounce if I can; but the built-in flash will point forward (naturally) and my tests here shooting wireless and holding the strobe in my left hand suggest that I can get very good results like this. Main drawbacks: Brackets appear to be a pain to deal with AND I expect that using the built-in flash will drain my batteries more quickly, as well.

I refuse to ruin all the aisle shots - up and back in dark churches since the bracket happens to be uncomfortable.

 

If you are truly a professional - you will be willing to do whatever it takes to get the shot - or do you simply tell your customers that you don't do any shots that might require a bracket since you consider it a PITA?

If you're using an omnibounce angled at 45 degrees, a camera flip style bracket will keep your flash in the same position, easy peasy....

So if I get that custom bracket junior thing, how do you attach one of those flash battery packs ( specifically the canon one ). Trying to find detailed pictures or specs is proving elusive. I can't find how long the battery pack cord is anywhere.

I used the Jr bracket...with a SB800 flash, and the quatrum turbo battery. Let me tell you, for a small framed person like me, it was some work out, even though I have a two year old at home and I've been carrying her around constantly. It takes a while to get used to it...but overall I managed, and I'd will use the turbo battery pack again, SO WORTH it! Helps to recycle faster.

Personally, I dont use one anymore. They are just cumbersome. I use the Gary FONG lightspere and bounce it for 90% of my shots. Outdoors

I shhot direct with fill flash.

You don't attach a battery pack to the Custom Bracket Jr.--no place to attach it. Here is a modified Custom Bracket--different model--with the Canon battery pack attached. On that model, there are holes in the metal to mount other stuff.

 

http://planetneil.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/11-flash-brackets/

 

If you are going to use a bracket here are a few things to consider. Do you want to flip the flash or the camera? Advantage to flipping the camera is the flash remains oriented the same, so bouncing and modifiers work the same way regardless of camera orientation. Disadvantage is for close up vertical shots, you may have flash fall off toward the bottom of the frame. Disadvantage to the flash flipping brackets is it puts stress on the flash hot foot or off camera cord shoe and foot--they will break off more easily. Plus, the balance of the units' weights isn't always great. Advantage is for vertical shots with flash direct, the flash head is oriented the same way as the camera.

 

On the surface it would appear the flash flippers are more compact and weight less, but I have found, after using all kinds of brackets, that the balance is nicer on the camera flipping ones, plus the increased weight actually helps me steady the camera. I used to get sore wrists a lot with a lighter, flash flipping bracket. I use a Custom Bracket QRS-EV now--no sore wrists at all, no stress on the flash, plus I put other stuff on it, such as radio slave transmitters and a flexible arm for a card to shade the lens, among other things. Weight doesn't bother me--I used to carry a medium format camera, big flash and battery pack around all day.

 

You will find that a bracket is quite personal--what works for one person will not work for another, including using a bracket at all, and there is no such thing as a perfect flash bracket. Examine carefully and determine your needs before you buy one. And buy from a place that you can return to after gently testing one out.

I use a camera flip model. I love the shots I get with it. I also like holding the grip when my camera is at my side. I probably shoot with it 85-90% of the whole shoot. Messing around with hand holding a flash is not my idea of fun. I would entertain using it on a tripod to the side though. So to answer your questions - Is it necessary? No, but highly recommended. Just my $.02

Also, on flash flipping brackets, if you put it on a tripod, you have to flop the tripod head and re-adjust height, to do a vertical, whereas with camera flipping models, you don't.

I guess if you can't handle the extra weight that a flash bracket adds to your setup then you will need to come up with some workaround to get the shots that need that sort of flash elevation.

I used to attach my Quantum 1+ baterry to my "Quickflip" bracket but with my Canon 580EX/430EX I can get plenty of milage out of rechargable double AA baterries so I've put my Quatums up for sale on Craigslist and don't use them anymore.

I don't use a bracket. I don't use a battery pack. I don't use a tripod. I make it through the

entire wedding day usually with two sets of batteries, which are switched out between the

ceremony & reception. When I use flash, most of it gets bounced over my shoulder if the

room allows for good bouncing. If bouncing is limited, I may use a lightsphere, which stays

up regardless of the orientation of my camera.

 

Do you need a bracket? No. Do you need a battery pack? No. Do they make you look like a

big bad scary photographer? Yes. :-)

This is getting to be like RAW vs. JPEG and Canon vs. Nikon. I guess you could say a bracket isn't absolutely necessary--you could still shoot a wedding without one, but some people choose to use one. Others don't. There is no black and white answer. At yesterday's boat wedding, I needed a flash bracket and I needed a battery pack (in my opinion) as everything was shot on the boat in the blasting sunlight at high noon, including formals and ceremony. I would have missed shots during the ceremony if I didn't have the battery pack. I would have gotten side shadows if I didn't use the bracket. I could have just missed the shots or taken them and gotten hard shadows in eye sockets or stopped everyone until my flash recycled or I could have just gotten side shadows or shot everything horizontal, but I chose not to. During the reception, I could easily have gotten through it without a bracket and without a battery pack since the ceilings were low and bounce-able, but I chose not to. And I would guess the guests would have known who the scary photographer was, even if I didn't have the bracket and pack. Even if you were using one flashless Leica body without any other gear on you, the fact that you're walking about taking tons of pictures would tip anyone off. Let's not get into absolutes here--THAT isn't necessary. Just give Peter the information he needs to make his own decision.