Lighting help needed please.

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Tori

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Tori
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I am taking photos of a family get together next month in a restaurant. I'm going to a recce to see what the light is like, but I'm worried about what I'll need. I have a flashgun and diffuser, will these get me decent shots? I don't really want to stroll in with lighting stands and softboxes!
Any tips would be greatly appreciated :) Thanks!
 
Yes low (I'm assuming White) ceilings. If I bounce off the ceiling will that not cause shadows under noses etc?
I have a stofen diffuser, but a lightsphere? Is this something worth investing in? Thanks :)
 
i was at this point a while ago and am just getting to grips with flash , i started off using the bounce method , moving the flash up and a little behind , you can tape a card (or use a bounce card ) on the back of the flash to help a little - there is also a good bodge with a black bit of foam held in place with bands that works well . The lightsphere is something like this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180623452221&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT they work really well , and are quite squashy , giving a very natural light - they are not expensive , so buy one and try all three methods :)
 
Thanks very much. It seems the reasonably priced ones are all from HK though, and I need one for 2/7/11, I doubt it would arrive in time :( I'll have another search and see what I can find. Thanks.
 
Tori said:
Yes low (I'm assuming White) ceilings. If I bounce off the ceiling will that not cause shadows under noses etc?
I have a stofen diffuser, but a lightsphere? Is this something worth investing in? Thanks :)
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Average height white ceiling is ideal, and the much-maligned Stofen-type difuser cap works well. Just point it straight up and you'll get nice soft light over a large area, with a dash of direct fill-in to lighten those faces and put a sparkle in the eyes.

A bounce card works on the same principle www.abetterbouncecard.com as do a number of other accessories. Another technqiue is to bounce the flash off the wall/ceiling behind you, but tends to need more power (and a light coloured wall).

Think about a CTO gel on the flash to match the ambient if you want to use a longer shutter speed to bring the background level up. Shooting on Av will do this automatically, use compensation controls to balance the ratio. Adjust white balance accordingly.

Edit: my favourite flash accessory is the Lumiquest QuikBounce - works brilliantly, very versatile, efficient use of light, fast, folds flat, £40 :thumbs: I'm going to a wedding reception tomorrow night (as a guest ;)) and I don't expect I'll use anything else. Link here, and little video http://www.lumiquest.com/products/quik-bounce.htm Quite a few good tutorials on that site too.
 
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I just found a video on the Quikbounce after a quick google, it looks a bit cardboard like, but I'll read more..thanks! I think I have a plan now!
 
oh i like that as well! im a sucker for kit... may try this too!
 
Tori said:
I just found a video on the Quikbounce after a quick google, it looks a bit cardboard like, but I'll read more..thanks! I think I have a plan now!
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Only the finest cardboard I'm sure :D Lumiquest are the oldest flash accessory maker out there and have been doing it for over 20 years - basically the same idea of carboardy type stuff covered with vinyl in a flat-folding design and secured with velcro. Their designs are sound, based on fundamental principles and their marketing refreshingly free of bullcrap.

I've had a Quik Bounce for a couple of years now, dropped it a few times too. Pretty robust. I wouldn't want to drop a Fong or some of the other attachments about. I've tried most of them and have more or less stardarised on the LQ Quik Bounce now. I also like the Demb Flip-it (kind of multi adjustable bounce card) and the good ol' Stofen works well in a lot of situations and at three quid for an e-bay clone you can't really go wrong. If you've got a little pull-out hilight panel in the flash head (Canon 430EX doesn't for some daft reason) they're surprisingly effective too.

Quik Bounce tip - zooming the flash head alters the bounce-fill ratio. I find that zooming to max puts about one more stop out of the top (and therefore one stop less out of the front too) which is handy for higher ceilings. Also when using it without a ceiling (flaps closed) zooming back to the widest setting ensures the light goes right to the corners, and that extra bit of width makes the light slightly softer (very slightly ;)).
 
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Depending on how posh you want to look you could try a few options. I have a stofen omnibounce but in my experience a lot of shops don't carry a huge stock because there seems to be a different model for each flashgun. Alternatively you could use a rogue flashbender as they can be bent into all sorts of shapes to control light.
From a cheap and cheerful point of view you could use a piece of white card held in place with an elastic band or to replicate the Lightsphere you can cut a 4 pint milk carton to shape and use that to diffuse light and build healthy teeth and bones.
 
LOL...loving the milk carton advice! Not wanting to look too much of a muppet, I think I will be sticking with investing in a Quikbounce or a lightsphere, but for the 2nd, it'll be my flashgun with a stofen diffuser and a white card! (Maybe I'll experiment with cornflakes packets before the day) :lol:

Thanks alot guys :)
 
davidmellors said:
Depending on how posh you want to look you could try a few options. I have a stofen omnibounce but in my experience a lot of shops don't carry a huge stock because there seems to be a different model for each flashgun. Alternatively you could use a rogue flashbender as they can be bent into all sorts of shapes to control light.
From a cheap and cheerful point of view you could use a piece of white card held in place with an elastic band or to replicate the Lightsphere you can cut a 4 pint milk carton to shape and use that to diffuse light and build healthy teeth and bones.
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Haha! Upsidedown plastic milk bottle works really well. Cut off the bottom and hinge it with gaffa tape and you've got a Fong Whale-Tail.

Major fail in the cool stakes though.

Welcome to TP :)
 
Ozei said:
The Lumiquest Pocket Bouncer (LQ-101) is worth a look too, especially if there's no ceiling to bounce off - it's similar to the Quik Bounce but doesn't have the doors. Costs around £20.

http://www.morrisphoto.co.uk/ProductDetails~productID~6060~categoryid~266.html

http://www.lumiquest.com/products/pocket-bouncer.htm
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Or the Prolite Bouncer which is around £13. It's supposed to be an 'economy grade' Pocket Bouncer but I can't see any difference in materials (I've got one).

http://www.jacobsdigital.co.uk/p-41487-jacobs-digital-lumiquest-prolite-bouncer-pocket.aspx

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-LUMIQUEST...0640638140&po=&ps=63&clkid=548952148343004704
 
But it doesn't do ceiling bounce, which is the primary requirement. And it fits in the conventional flash head position, so you can't do portrait mode. Quik Bounce does all these things.
 
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HoppyUK said:
But it doesn't do ceiling bounce, which is the primary requirement. And it fits in the conventional flash head position, so you can't do portrait mode. Quik Bounce does all these things.
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Yes, I agree the Quik Bounce is the best option - but if there's no ceiling to bounce off then the Pocket and Pro are good 'cheap' alternatives. They can do portrait mode if they're put on the other way round as shown in Lumiquest's video (@ 22 seconds ish).

Having said that I'd have opted for a Quik Bounce had it been available when I bought the Pro Bouncer. :bang:
 
HoppyUK said:
Average height white ceiling is ideal, and the much-maligned Stofen-type difuser cap works well. Just point it straight up and you'll get nice soft light over a large area, with a dash of direct fill-in to lighten those faces and put a sparkle in the eyes.

A bounce card works on the same principle www.abetterbouncecard.com as do a number of other accessories. Another technqiue is to bounce the flash off the wall/ceiling behind you, but tends to need more power (and a light coloured wall).

.
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How do you bounce flash light tothe wall and cieling behind you? the most you can point your flash is 90 degrees straight up!
 
Most of the higher end flash guns allow you to swivel the head horizontally, as well as vertically, by varying degrees. So by rotating the head horizontally and aiming it up about 45 deg, you can bounce of the wall and ceiling.
 
jonneymendoza said:
You can swivel them as far back over 90 degrees though. not the 430ex mk2 thats for sure
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430EX is disabled in this respect, for reasons known only to Canon's marketing department. You can mod it though, if you're brave. Google how to do it.
 
Hi I have just recently got a Rogue flash bender bounce card from Warehouse express for £23 and it's permanently on my flash I have really high ceiling so it's perfect and for outside for a bit if fill
 
abdabs said:
Hi I have just recently got a Rogue flash bender bounce card from Warehouse express for £23 and it's permanently on my flash I have really high ceiling so it's perfect and for outside for a bit if fill
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got a link to one mate?
 
Is that from seeing it on the website that u think it's flimsy, when u manipulate the rod inside it, to the desired shape u need, it remains there until u adjust it again i dont think it's flimsy at all just my opinion
 
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