Poll: Direct or diffused, and why?

[todd_k.]

I would assume that many of us use a flash diffusion accessory of some

description during an event. What do you use and when?

 

I will go first:

 

A. I use one or more undiffused Vivitar 283/285s with a Quantum B1 for

formals. I do this because the vivitars are not powerful enough to use

a diffusion device and still retain an adequate DoF.

 

B. While shooting candids with flash I like to use an omni bounce. To

my eye it seems to soften things up and spread the light out.

[al_kaplan1]

I do pretty much the same thing. Years ago I made some "power packs" for my Vivitar 283's that use 4 D cells and fit in a belt pouch. What kills the AA cells is heat build up from rapid firing. A D cell has 8 times the capacity of an AA cell but will probably give you 20 times the number of flashes, yet only costs about twice as much. It's almost impossible to shoot enough frames fast enough to heat up the D cells with a 283.

 

The flash heads each have a wide rubber band around them. I keep half a dozen business cards tucked in there, convenient for handing out. When I'm not using the Omni Bounce I tilt the flash up to bounce position and pull a card about halfway beyond the front of the reflector. Bent slightly forward it kicks just enough fill forward to lighten the shadows you get with straight ceiling bounce.

[iskandar_azaman___kuala_lu]

I just use the Omnibounce on the 420ex and 550ex. It's on the flash almost permanently. Other than when there's a big group and need to back up. I just fire it straight on at these times.

[brady_dillsworth]

I use nothing on the flash head but will bounce it off of the walls and ceiling at the reception. If bouncing isn't a possibility then I will use it direct on a bracket.

 

I tried an omnibounce for a while and didn't find the images to be much different than an open flash head bounced off of the walls.

 

Brady

[kelvinphoto - arlington, t]

metz 70mz-5 or 50mz-5 + bounce to ceiling and a kicker to fill at 1/2 power.

[paul_chuah]

1. I use the built-in diffusor on my flash only when I need the angle of coverage increased when using wide angle lenses.

 

2. I use a mini umbrella on my flash to soften the shadows when there are no white surfaces to bounce my flash off.

 

3. When ever possible, I bounce the flash off white ceilings and walls to create large soft lighting effect to almost completely remove the ugly shadows.

 

4. I use the omni bounce to convert my flash to bare bulb effect which I usually place behind subjects for people portraits or group photos. I place the omnified flash behind furnitures/pillars/objects when shooting interiors to create some form of dimensional separation.

[fotografz]

Diffuser on every shot, including formals. Only time it comes off is if I'm shooting the 135/

2 at a distance.

[blueworldstudios]

Everything is diffused unless it's a slave used for a specular kicker. I won't leave the studio

without my LightSphere as it provides a simple convenient way to keep the take home

wedding cake fresh and moist ...<div></div>

[michaelmowery]

Shoot what ever makes you happy. As far as direct or diffused is concerned the answer lies

in the size of the light source and the distance it is from the subject. The larger the light

source (or the closer) the softer the light. A small light source like an on camera flash is

going to be a specular light with or with out the difusion. The only time you would see a

difference when using the diffusion is....yes you guessed it. when you move in close to the

subject and now have created a larger light source.

 

Formals done right with strobes should be done using umbrella or softbox lighting.

Candids are done using any direct flash head that makes you happy.

[jonathon]

E.J., that's a gold star for brilliant resourcefulness, you should send that photo to Gary! Marc, which diffuser are you into at the moment, has the Lightsphere taken over from the Big Bounce?</p>

I'm seriously thinking about trying to do a Jeff Ascough with a 20d and use no flash at all. Just position the people correctly, use fast primes, keep a low profile and convert most of the the images to B&W. I won't get the grain effect from faster films, but the harshness of electronic flash is worrying me more and more with my image making. If I do use flash I've got a Stofen Omnibounce (because it's small) when there's a white ceiling and a Lumiquest 80-20 system for direct flash (like the ultra bounce). I'm going to buy the Lumiquest Softbox next week and see how that compares for direct flash. I think you'd need to be desperate for distance to use flash direct, no diffuser, because of the hotspots it creates.

[wedding-photography-denver]

E.J.,

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, that is a great use that I had not yet employed.