I bounced it towards the ceiling with the omni.
That's how to use an omni-bounce, Stofen and similar. But if the ceiling is too high, it won't do much. To get softer light you need to make the light source much bigger, ie the size of the ceiling and that then becomes the main light source. The diffuser also sends light foward directly to the subject to add fill-in and brighten faces, with a sparkle in the eyes. Looks v good.
In the right situation, these little diffusers work superbly. In an average room, the diffuser spreads light everywhere, mainly in the direction you point it. The amount of light that is reflected back off the ceiling and walls obviously depends on the environment while the light that goes directly forward is constant, so the ratio of direct-to-fill varies.
To get an idea of how it works, shoot a portrait indoors in a small room with a light ceiling and walls. Then move outside, after dark, and shoot an identical pic. The indoors shot will be softly lit, and the flash will pretty much fill the room, wheras the outdoor shot will look eactly as if you had just used direct flash - because the size of the light source is not increased with an omini-bounce/Stofen, and all it does is waste light and power.
This is the bounce/fill-in reflector I like - Lumiquest Quik-Bounce £39
http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-lumiquest-quik-bounce/p1031217 It does everything pretty well - open the flaps for a similar effect to the omni-bounce, close them when there's no suitable ceiling and the bigger light area makes a useful difference at close range. It also works in portrait mode, which many flash diffusers do not.
Also have a look here
www.abetterbouncecard.com How to use a simple bounce card which works on the same principle as the omni-bounce/Stofen. Many flash guns have one of these little pull-out cards built in, and they're amazingly effective.
As odd as this may seem try a gobo on the front of the omni to reduce the direct forward light. At the mo it's still a bit like car headlights ....:nuts:
Try this requires an old mouse mat
http://www.planetneil.com/tangents/2009/11/21/the-black-foamie-thing/
Amazing how an attractive girl and a colourful background can make a rather poor lighting example look good
