Figure 13-3 An example of the kind of natural light you get using the piece of paper shown in Figure 13-4. Tremendous improvement in flash for such an inexpensive modification!
Figure 13-3 An example of the kind of natural light you get using the piece of paper shown in Figure 13-4. Tremendous improvement in flash for such an inexpensive modification! |
Before we start talking about wireless flash, let’s talk about ways to make regular flash a bit more palatable. I mentioned earlier that the absolutely worst kind of light is when the flash on top of your camera is the sole source of light in a darkened room, as in Figure 13-4a. (Ironically, this is how most people use their accessory flash, which is really a travesty.) Historically, the most common way around this was to point the accessory flash UP and have it bounce off a low, white ceiling, turning the ceiling into a large diffuser (Figure 13-4b), which was certainly an improvement.
Can we do better than “bounce flash”? Yes! Pointing the flash UP (like you’re going to bounce it off the ceiling) and then attaching a large sheet of paper as illustrated in Figure 13-4c. (Another example using this technique is shown in Figure 13-3). This very effective (and inexpensive!) tool takes some of the light going straight up and reflects it forward, sending soft, diffused light toward the subject. The rest of the light bounces off a low, white ceiling, providing natural-looking illumination for the rest of the room. The result is the best of both worlds and very natural looking lighting!
Since light is such an important ingredient to good photography, light modifiers are almost always a necessary part of a great flash picture. I always use the piece of paper, even when shooting outdoors with no ceiling to bounce off of because the quality of the fill light is that much nicer.