To bracket or not to bracket?!?!

[j.e.t]

And by that I don't mean bracketing exposures. I mean using a camera

bracket. I am switching over to doing weddings and most people have

recommend I use a camera bracket for my set up. Canon 10D, Metz 54 flash.

Those many people have also said that having the flash off the camera will

provide better light quality. What about this Stofen omni bounce diffuser I am

hearing so much about, which I own as well. Will the quality of light be much

different between flash on camera hotshoe w/Stofen vs. flash on bracket w/

Stofen?? As far as I go, the less equipment and the lighter the equipment, the

better. BUT, I am not willing to compromise light and image quality. So for

you seasoned wedding pros out there, any and all advice you have is

welcome!!

[NetR]

Another issue. You have to LOOK like a Pro. Having the flash on a bracket will help differentiate you from Uncle Joe, who might have a Canon 10D as well.

 

Since you are not willing to compromise light and image quality (a minimum requirement for a Pro in my book) you should use a bracket to mount the flash on to ensure no red-eye. The Stofen, which I have, softens the light by diffusing it more widely, but you lose a stop or two through this. There will be times you need all the light your flash can squeeze out.

 

Regards, Ross

[frank uhlig]

A flash bracket will keep the flash above your lens, hence your flash shadows will end up below and behind the people. Desirable! It will not soften the flash light.

[andrew robertson]

Yes, because at one wedding I went to, the lady with the Hassy sure LOOKED professional,

even though she could hardly figure the thing out. Not many of the guests or wedding

party noticed, though - they were too busy being stunned by the scintillations from the

Swedish steel and German glass.

[steve_levine]

Im curious when you say "switching over to doing weddings".What do you shoot now?Brackets do several things,they raise the light off the lens axis to eliminate red eye.They also help to throw shadows behind certain types of subjects.Bracket or not,you really need to keep your subjects away from walls and other surfaces.Or learn to shoot at angles to walls etc.This usually involves shooting into corners,rather than straight into walls.The Sto-fen device mimics a bare bulb light.What this does is provide "wrap around" lighting.In my experience,they only work with low ceilings and close walls to bounce the light off of.Out doors,the snout is projecting the light into space.This does two bad things.It wastes battery power & slows recycle time.The truth is that anytime the main light is coming from near the lens axis,it sucks.The best wedding shooters use ambient & flash combined,or fire 2nd lights as main light sources and use their on camera lights as flash fill only.This creates a 3D effect that brings your wedding photography to a whole other level!