One speedlight directly bounced on ten foot ceiling.

Flash was pointing up about six feet distant from the eggs. The light is more flat and even, and has much appeal, but it is coming from overhead. Which is sometimes appropriate, but maybe not best for portraits, at least not without some fill.

This ceiling is more than 7 feet above the eggs, but the ceiling is larger than the umbrella to compensate, and a large light is what works. Bounce flash is an extremely powerful general purpose tool. The large ceiling is like a large umbrella, but umbrellas are easier to aim than ceilings.

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A speedlight on the hot shoe should be bounced if possible. Not all situations allow bounce of course, but many do. When using ceiling bounce for human subjects, there are two tricks. Don't stand too close to the subject, to prevent the steep angle down from causing deep shadows in eye sockets. Due to that angle, stand back 8 to 10 feet and zoom in. Also use a small 3x5" white index card on the flash (or the SB-800 pull-out card is perfect) to throw a small amount of direct flash forward for fill, and specifically to create a catchlight in the eyes for sparkle. Sparkle is always a good thing.

There are numerous "better bounce cards" on the internet. They dont bounce of course, they provide direct fill light to the subject. Their open top still allows the bounce from the ceiling. A small piece of plain white paper or index card held on the flash head with a rubber band works as well as anything. Walmart has white "fun foamies" in their craft department (about 9x11 inches, about three for a dollar), which are quite durable, and one is shown cut down here (this one is still a bit large). A rubber band works fine to hold it, but the Walmart jewelry dept has inexpensive kids wrist bands (perhaps three for a dollar?), not much different than a heavy rubber band, just the right size and stretchy enough, and their professional black version is shown below.

The clip-on plastic diffuser domes do essentially the same thing as the bounce card. They do diffuse a little (scattering light into shadows) if close enough, but if the light they scatter does not bounce and come back to the subject, it is lost and wasted. These are normally pointed at the ceiling, and bounce is the major effect. But their clear plastic also spills some light forward for direct fill and highlights.

Specifically, if a "bounce card" or a diffuser dome had also been used for the eggs here, the effect would have been to add some direct frontal fill, Then you would see a shadow appear behind the eggs and dish, rather like the shadow in the direct flash picture, but not nearly as dark (because the ceiling bounce fills it). That is an experiment that you should try yourself, but it is shown HERE.

The picture below shows both the SB-800 pullout white card and a larger cut-down fun foamy. Only one would be used of course. The large one on the left seems awesomely large - it will provide massive direct flat frontal light which likely wipes out all traces of your bounce. The smaller pullout white card is plenty to add a catchlight and a little direct fill, and it is normally all I use. Repeat - the pullout bounce card is a mighty fine size - don't overdo it. But if you do want to seriously flood with more direct fill light, the larger card does that. The foam is flexible and adjustable, so you can fold it back to reduce its size for when you need less direct fill. The subject distance usually determines how much fill power you need of course. Experiment with different subject types and distances, but remember, the ceiling bounce still does most of what you want to happen. What the "bounce card" does is to add direct frontal fill, and a catch light in the eyes, and it really helps to understand this when evaluating your results.

One softbox close above camera was used for these two pictures. A reflective umbrella is sometimes less convenient in cramped quarters (light stand is in the way), but a shoot-through umbrella positions as easily as a softbox (and is much easier to disassemble and store).

A plastic diffuser dome is pretty much the same effect as the bounce card. It still points up to the ceiling to mostly provide bounce. Its clear plastic also spills some light forward for direct fill and catch lights, same as the bounce card. These are the properties you should be checking when evaluating test results. Only one opinion, but I really dont value the diffusion domes very highly myself. The three differences of a diffuser over a bounce card are these:
1. The diffuser also spills light at 360 degrees in the room, hopefully to bounce on walls and come back to subject, else it is lost and wasted.
2. The diffuser requires much more flash power than without it.
3. Used direct, it can add some degree of diffusion, which spreads the light to fill shadows, which the bounce card does not do. But this is only slightly effective, only when up fairly close - the relative size of the light source is still the huge obvious factor. (Complicated, you may have to think about it, but I am specifically saying: only light defracted inward, from the left side of light towards the other side of subject, can find any shadows to be filled. Without external bounce surfaces, any light defracted outwards away from the subject simply leaves, lost without any possible effect. How much softening effect can a two inch light have at six feet?)   Outdoors with no bounce surfaces available, we must use direct flash, but the diffusion dome wastes so much more of the light then. Light not aimed at the subject does not reach the subject.

Copyright © 2008-2012 by Wayne Fulton - All rights are reserved.