Need on-camera diffuser suggestions for boudoir

[stephanie_w]

<p>Hello,<br>

I'm doing some boudoir portraits for some women I work with. We are going to be doing them at a suite at a Hilton, so I'm not really sure what kind of light I'll be working with. With my previous boudoir session I had more control over the setup of the situation and used mainly natural lighting from a big window which I was pleased with. However since we'll be at a hotel I am a little more worried about not having at much natural light and having to depend on my flash more. I don't have the money to purchase a whole strobe setup right now (especially because I'm doing this more for fun & practice I'm not getting paid very much). I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for an on-camera diffuser for a 420EX. I don't imagine I'll be more than 10 feet away from a subject at a given time. I was looking at Gary Fong's lightspheres and also the lumiquest softboxes. I don't want TOO much even light - I do want soft skin highlights and things like that. Thanks for your help!</p>

[douglasely]

<p>For the flash: Old out of favor inexpensive trick that stills works very well- a mens cotton handkerchief. Control the amound of light by adding folds.</p>

<p>For the lens: Appropriately - a nylon stocking.</p>

<p>If you use these, let us know how they worked for you.</p>

<p>Best of luck, D</p>

<p> </p>

[tony_leinster]

<p>Try Stofen diffusers, I don't know where you are but in the UK try warehouseexpress.com or if you are in the USA I would think B&H or the like would stock them, cost about 17gbp or 17 US dollars. Failing that, or if you're pressed for time, try toilet tissue taped over the flashhead, have a few experiments before the shoot on the number of layers. You can also cut a small hole in this to give a little highlight.</p>

[lex_jenkins]

<p>For the softest possible light with a single on-camera flash, bounce it. If possible, reverse the flash head and aim it backward to fill the room with light. It's one of the more difficult single on-camera flash techniques, but works beautifully with an accurate TTL flash system.</p>

<p>Google <A HREF="http://www.planetneil.com/">Neil Van Niekerk's site

</A> for tips. I swiped the backward flash technique from him and it's worked very well with my Nikon D2H and SB-800 for the past few years.</p>

<p>Incidentally, when using bounce flash don't use a diffuser. It serves no purpose with bounce flash and only robs you of much needed light. Diffusers work best with direct flash at close range, indoors or outdoors. Beyond around 10-20 feet diffusers have relatively little effect. At 10 feet or closer a small on-camera diffuser will rarely provide the type of soft lighting you'd get with a studio flash and softbox, diffuser or umbrella.</p>

<p>You might also consider a reflector. I like the Photoflex 5 'n' 1 with 42" disc, four reflective surfaces (white, silver and two variations of gold) and a white diffuser. A very good cheap substitute is a sheet of white posterboard from any school supply aisle. Really helps take advantage of available light outdoors or window light indoors. Better than a flash in some cases, tho' it usually requires a slower shutter speed or higher ISO.</p>

[ben_goren]

<p>Stephanie,</p>

 

<p>If the walls are a reasonably neutral color, you can bounce your flash off them to get surprisingly-good room-filling diffuse light.</p>

 

<p>Or, if you want the ultimate in an inexpensive and portable studio lighting setup, get a $25 Cactus

wireless trigger along with a stand and an umbrella. Draft one of your subjects as an assistant to hold

a metallic car dashboard sunblocker thingie as a reflector for fill, and you’re all set.</p>

 

<p>See Strobist and Planet Neil for details.</p>

 

<p>Cheers,</p>

 

<p>b&</p>

[blockphoto]

<p>Or have someone hold a bedsheet or white towel and bounce the flash off that, if the walls are too far away and you don't want to/can't get the setup Ben describes. An off-shoe cable can be useful for this type of situation too.</p>

<p>I don't think an on-camera flash (with the flash pointed at your subject) is going to give you the type of results you want, even with a diffuser (unfortunately they just don't make the light big enough relative to the subject to product soft shadows and highlights, and having a small light on the same axis as your camera lens produces flat light regardless of how big it is...that may be desirable, as with a ringflash, but probably not in this case).</p>

[ted_raper1]

<p>I'm with Douglas in the old/cheap method of diffusing flash, and I've used a hanky. But I have also used coffee filters and (don't laugh) toilet tissue. The filter diffuses more than the tissue, so which to use depends on your needs. The toilet tissue actually doesn't diffuse much, just kind of takes the edge off a strong flash unit. The coffee filter is a pretty strong diffuser.</p>

<p>Long live cheapskates!</p>

[dbcooper]

<p>Flash: kleenex works. You can tape a piece over the flash. Best idea: use an umbrella. You can get one of the strobist-type all-in-one units, a stand, and a small tilt head inexpensively enough. You can use it like a regular reflector umbrella or <em>shoot through it for an excellent diffuser</em> . The big problem with softboxes is that you really need to have them big and fairly close to the subject to get the good effect, and it'll lose you the best chance for fill light from a reflector. Oh yeah - use a reflector for fill light. White foam core board from your local art/craft supply/quickie sign shop also makes a great cheap reflector.</p>

<p>Lens: using a piece of stocking for a soft-focus filter really takes me back. If you have a choice and the images are low-key, try using a piece of black stocking. High key? Use white if you can. Years ago, we'd cut a swatch, stretch it over the lens, and secure it with a rubber band. It works really well. You can buy soft-focus/diffuser filters; they're available in several different types and grades of diffusion.</p>