Light is my favourite part of photography. I also love colour, composition and gesture, but light is what photography is all about for me. It is also one of the hardest things to learn. Getting the lighting right can take considerable effort, but the result is often worth it.
This article is not about studio lighting. I want to look at on-camera flash and some practical ways of using it to improve a photograph.
Bouncing flash
It pains me to see people using a bounce diffuser outdoors as if it were a magic solution. A small plastic dome cannot create soft light on its own. It works by spreading light around a room, allowing nearby walls and ceilings to reflect some of it back towards the subject. Outdoors, where there are no nearby reflective surfaces, much of that light is simply wasted.
When bouncing flash indoors, the ceiling or wall becomes the effective light source. The larger the illuminated surface appears from the subject’s position, the softer the resulting shadows tend to be. The direction and colour of the reflected surface matter too. A coloured ceiling can introduce an unwanted colour cast.
There is no universal 45-degree rule for every diffuser or flash system. Tilt and aim the flash according to the room, the subject and the modifier. Check the flash manual to understand how its metering and bounce settings behave.
Bouncing from the ceiling can create raccoon eyes
Ceiling bounce can produce unattractive shadows under the nose and in the eye sockets, particularly when the ceiling is high or the subject is close to the camera. A small reflector card or a secondary light source can return some light towards the face and soften those shadows.
Modifiers such as the Gary Fong Lightsphere spread light in several directions and can be useful in rooms with suitable reflective surfaces. They are bulky, however, and much of the light can be wasted when there is nothing nearby to bounce it back. They are not a substitute for a larger, deliberately positioned light source.
A DIY diffuser
A DIY diffuser made from translucent silicone drawer liner was an inexpensive experiment. It softened the direct flash in my setup and produced a pleasant result at close range. The photograph below was taken with the diffuser mounted on the camera, around two metres from the subject. You can see the diffuser reflected in the highlights in the boys’ eyes.
As with any homemade accessory, make sure it is securely attached and does not obstruct the flash head or ventilation.
Using a wall
A wall can be an excellent surface for bounce flash, particularly for portraits. Unlike a ceiling, it can return light towards the subject at roughly face height, helping to avoid deep shadows under the eyes. The wall effectively becomes a large light source.
You will need to consider the distance between the flash, the wall and the subject. Move the subject or change the flash angle to control the amount and direction of the light. A tilt of around 30–45 degrees may be a useful starting point, but the best position depends on the room and the composition.
Ceilings and walls with strong colours
As discussed above, bouncing light from a wall or ceiling can soften shadows, but the surface will also influence the colour of the reflected light. A green or yellow ceiling can give your subject an unwanted colour cast.
One solution is to use a neutral reflector held above or behind the camera, allowing it to become the surface from which the light is bounced. This can be useful outdoors or in large rooms where the walls and ceiling are too far away. Rogue FlashBenders and similar modifiers offer another way to shape and redirect light.
Wide-angle diffuser and reflector card
I used the Sony HVL-F60M flash. Like many advanced flash units, it includes a built-in wide-angle diffuser and a small reflector card. When the flash head is tilted upwards, the reflector card can direct a little light towards the subject, helping to fill shadows and create catchlights.
The important lesson is simple: do not expect a small plastic accessory to do the work of a large light source. Think about where the light is going, what it is bouncing off and how that changes the shadows on your subject.
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