Impromptu flash diffuser

[elyone]

I was shooting my newborn and wanted to diffuse the flash. I was using the on-flash camera of my D40 and did not

want to take the time to get my larger flash and diffuser. (I would have missed the shot for sure)

 

So, I grabbed a handy opaque white plastic disposable cup that was lying around, and held it over he flash.

Worked wonderfully!

 

(see: http://www.photo.net/photo/7815377)

 

What similar things have you used?<div></div>

[Matthew Currie]

Nice results from the cup. The material from plastic milk jugs is pretty good too.

[Matt Laur]

Yup. I've been known to grab a white paper napkin, tissue paper, and a white lid off of a coffee cup. It can help to bump up the flash compensation a stop or so if you're using something a little more opaque, the net results are pretty much always better than the Laser Beam Of Doom effect you'll get if the strobe is providing most of the scene's light, and doing so directly. Shoot in RAW though, since you'd be surprised at how much a seemingly white ad hoc diffuser can actually impact color temperature.

[jay a. frew]

Cut a slot in the side of a white plastic film can. It makes a nice friction fit on my 40D built-in flash (I don't have to hold it).

 

I made it one day in a hurry and it worked so well I keep it in my bag.

 

It does not change the color balance.

 

Cheers! Jay

[travishoover]

I read somewhere that suggested using a ping-pong or table-tennis ball, either cutting it in half or a hole in the back, and taping it to the pop-up flash. I plan on trying that out tonight, sounds easy enough...

[lex_jenkins]

For years I've toted sheets of white translucent plastic and tape in my bags for makeshift diffusers. The stuff is sold in arts and crafts stores for making stained glass templates. Very thin, flexible and durable and stores flat. I've cut it into various shapes and sizes. Blue masking tape works well and leaves no residue.

 

A white styrofoam coffee cup over a lens can be used for reasonably accurate impromptu incident light metering too.

[will_daniel1]

Photo on the right is straight-up bounce off a white ceiling. The left photo is exactly the same arrangement but with homemade, white card stock diffuser/deflector taped to the flash.

 

Will

[katherinemichael]

I have used wax paper before. I folded it to form a little custom diffuser that I taped on the pop-up flash on my N80. I have used it to diffuse room lights as well. I have also seen people use the bottom of a rubbing alcohol bottle.