Suggestions for DIY flash diffusion?

[DanteCaspian]

What material can I use to make a slip cover for my built in flash that will diffuse into a softer light?
Ya, I am that cheap!:)

[Shutter22]

A piece of computer paper and rubber band.

If you want less diffusion, two tissues and a rubber band.

[txduggan]

How To Make A Better Bounce Card:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNCmuExlHvM&eurl=

Tom D

[Curtis N]

Dante,

Sending some of the photons from your flash in a different direction won't necessarily create a better light source. If it was easy and cheap to make the light "softer" just by putting some translucent material in front of it, then they would be manufactured that way.

What are you trying to accomplish?

[Shutter22]

How To Make A Better Bounce Card:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNCmuExlHvM&eurl=

Tom D


That guy was amazing, but she said built in.

[rhys]

You could try putting some hose over the flash - a hose sock from the shoe shop?

[Bob_A]

You could try putting some hose over the flash - a hose sock from the shoe shop?

I believe that all that will do is reduce the capacity of the flash and change the color of the light.

[DanteCaspian]

That guy was amazing, but she said built in.

He said. Perhaps the avatar made you think I was a woman; that is my wife.:)

But you are correct, I did say built in.;)

[KevC]

How To Make A Better Bounce Card:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNCmuExlHvM&eurl=

Tom D

Holy his omnibounce is so yello! Haha. I use that photo paper!

[DanteCaspian]

Dante,

What are you trying to accomplish?

I am looking to simply create a softer glow and not such a hard light. When photographing people or objects up-close, though I can control the flash level, I still would like to reduce shine off skin, glare of glasses and otherwise occasional blown out areas or partial reflective surfaces. With a built in flash, obviously I am unable to reproduce the directional diffusion and do the type of rig as in the video (thanks Shutter22), or similar things with cards. That is why I wondered if there is something I could put over the built in flash, or if there is something I could make that would give me directional firing with a built in, or even better, both.

[Curtis N]

When photographing people or objects up-close, though I can control the flash level, I still would like to reduce shine off skin, glare of glasses and otherwise occasional blown out areas or partial reflective surfaces.Things like that are hard to eliminate without bouncing the light off the ceiling or moving it off camera. Even my Lumiquest Pocket Bouncer, which creates an effective light source about 7 inches wide and 4 inches high, can give me shiny foreheads, eyeglass glare and other hot spots.

Still, there's little harm in experimenting. Try a piece of translucent plastic cut from an empty milk jug.

[DanteCaspian]

Cool, will do!

[Dante King]

I hear plastic cut from gallon milk jugs works really well. I am all about lumiquest soft box flash attachments. They dont break the bank.

[Shutter22]

Aw man, I originally had he :)

[BeccaNH]

One of the guys in a photography class I took used the translucent lid from a Pringles can. Said it worked wonders!

[DanteCaspian]

I guess I am doing some grocery shopping! :)
Still, those lumiquest soft screen flash attachments are nifty, probably get a couple if I can find a local dealer.
Thanks everyone!

[Tom W]

I'm a lumiquest fan myself, but I'm not sure that they have anything for the built-in flash.

EDIT: Yes, they do....

http://www.lumiquest.com/softscreen.htm

[I Simonius]

Dante,

Sending some of the photons from your flash in a different direction won't necessarily create a better light source. If it was easy and cheap to make the light "softer" just by putting some translucent material in front of it, then they would be manufactured that way.



isn't that waht the little piece of white translucent plastic that extends from trhe top of the 580EX is for?

[Curtis N]

isn't that waht the little piece of white translucent plastic that extends from trhe top of the 580EX is for?I'm not sure if you're referring to the wide-angle diffuser or the catchlight card, but each has its purpose, and each can improve lighting when used according to its purpose.

Translucent plastics ala Omni-Bounce can be used to improve lighting, when there is another surface to bounce the light back into the field of view. But they need to be utilized with common sense, not just thrown on the flash head with the idea that they will improve every shot.

[In2Photos]

Holy his omnibounce is so yello! Haha. I use that photo paper!
The Omnibounce is available in 3 different colors (http://www.stofen.com/Info/index.htm)for various lighting conditions.

http://www.stofen.com/Images/omni-g.jpg

[Moppie]

Iv used a whole milk bottle with a flash head sized hole cut in it, so the whole bottle stuck out from the flash.
Aimed slightly up, and slightly at me, it produced a nice result, certainly better than direct flash:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v31/Moppie/?action=view&current=mewith20d.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch20

Of course, I also have a nice white ceiling which I'm sure contributed.