Ringflash highlights on macro shots

swag72

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Sara
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I have played with my MR14 a bit now, but have noticed the annoying catchlights that I often get when doing macro. Do I need some type of diffuser to help with this? I am using the flash on ETTL so it shouldn't be too bright - Certainly the exposures look OK.
 
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Anyone help on this one? Do I need diffusers to get rid of the catchlights? Are there any diffusers for the MR14?

Cheers guys.
 
The 'fractured donut' catchlights are an ever-present annoyance with the MR-14 and insects eyes but no problem when shooting flowers etc.
The MT-24, whilst it can have catchlight problems in certain conditions, is much more flexible and careful positioning can eliminate most tell tale signs.
Your best bet might be to find someone called Bob who'll lend you a Stofen shod MT-24 for a month or so and see how you get on with it.

Bob
 
I don't shoot macro and I don't have a macro flash, but the little I know about lighting suggests to me that in order to stop the reflections from the ringlight from looking like a ringlight you need to stop the lighting from looking like it comes from a ringlight.

Think about how light is reflected in people's eyeballs for portrait shots, or in sunglasses. The reflection you see is very much exactly as the light source was, whether it's a flash, a softbox, the sky, a ringflash or anything else. Here are a couple of examples....

Here the lighting was from a flash into a reflective brolly. You can clearly see the illuminated spokes from the umbrella reflected in the eye and the frame of the glasses.
20100801_134653_4666_LR.jpg


Here you can plainly see the reflection of someone holding a reflector and you can make out the shapes very clearly.
20100801_121939_4633_LR.jpg


If the problem you have with the light from your macro flash is that it looks like a ring (with breaks in it) then you need to stop it looking like a ring. A far more natural looking appearance would be an even, round, disc of light, which will look like the sun, a squareish light that looks more like light from a window, or a simply huge (relatively speaking) light, just like open sky (without direct sun). To achieve that you're basically going to want a softbox of some description, and to get the lighting off the camera, or at least off axis. That should also add a little shape to your subject as the directional light will allow the formation of soft shadows, visible from the camera viewpoint.

In nature it is rare for light sources to originate directly from the observer's own view point. I think a more conventionally shaped light source, positioned in a more conventional place is probably going to get you the results you seek. As has already been said, the ringlight should be fine for the times when you are shooting a non shiny subject. For other times you might need a different type of lighting. A small softbox - maybe 8"x8" or 12"x12" - fitted to a 580EX, or a flash fired into a reflector (sheet of white card should do) should produce a wonderfully soft, wraparound light for a small subject, and remove those hotspots and odd reflections.

Still, that's the theory (well, my theory). I'm sure the macro experts will be able to advise you better. Good luck. :)
 
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The 'fractured donut' catchlights are an ever-present annoyance with the MR-14 and insects eyes but no problem when shooting flowers etc.
The MT-24, whilst it can have catchlight problems in certain conditions, is much more flexible and careful positioning can eliminate most tell tale signs.
Your best bet might be to find someone called Bob who'll lend you a Stofen shod MT-24 for a month or so and see how you get on with it.

Bob

Bob, are you just trying to spend my pension?!!! There is no way I would borrow that monster!! I know I should have listened to you in the first place and got the MR24!! Note to self - Listen to Bob!!


Cheers for that Tim. I previously used a 430EX II velcroed onto the hood of the 100mm and it worked really well. I just wanted to get away from the Heath Robinson appraoch and get something more for purpose. May have to resort back to that for insects!
 
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Cheers for that Tim. I previously used a 430EX II velcroed onto the hood of the 100mm and it worked really well. I just wanted to get away from the Heath Robinson appraoch and get something more for purpose. May have to resort back to that for insects!

I suspect that "Heath Robinson" approach is much closer to what you want. You may need to add a reflector to the opposite side, for some fill, because at close range the light falloff will be very fast. A larger light source, positioned further away, will reduce the contrast, and a reflector will give you additional control. I suspect the design of the twin flash is very much to create a key light and some fill, which can be positioned and adjusted to taste.
 
I have changed over the ratio's between the tubes - as suggested on another site, and that seems to have helped in making the light less flat. So it's all positioned to taste now!!
 
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