Papparazzi and the Flash

[mattograph]

Lately I have noticed on TV that many papa mount their flash sideways above their camera with a bracket. Anybody know why? I can't fathom.......

[4x4rock]

Less red eye and no shadow?

Also it makes them look more "prefessional".

[mattograph]

Shadow........ I will buy that. That makes me wonder if that, since the flash is designed to function on a horizontal plane, if putting it vertical allows them to "focus" the light on their vertical, walking standup single subjects.

Probably its just to make them look cool.

[Tumeg]

So when they are shooting in the portrait orientation the flash is directly above the lens, which reduces shadows a TON.
I have been looking around for one of these brackets lately...

[onedownfiveup]

I've always wondered this as well just haven't asked.

[Nick Pro]

Try it one time. It really is amazing the difference that you get. If you shoot horizontally, put the flash on and fire. You get shadows, and the left side of the picture is dark. HAve it above the cam, still shooting horizontal. No more shadows, and the whole frame is bright.

[Big WIll]

I really doubt they do it to look cool or more professional. All they care about is getting the image before the other pap. They don't care what others think of them because if they did, they couldn't be paparazzi! Its as pro said above!

[Curtis N]

If you see a sideways-mounted flash above the camera, most likely it's on a simple flash-flip bracket, and the camera is in vertical orientation. When the camera and flash are both vertical, the flash can still zoom with the lens and provide complete coverage without wasting light.

[Wilt]

Sideways camera for portrait orientation better fits layout, sideways flash better avoids side shadow because the flash is close to the axis of the lens. Newspaper editors are not finicky, though, as so few of the flashes are perfectly over the axis of the lens, and the imperfect brackets are far cheaper than the ones that do a good job about centering.

[mattograph]

I wonder what type of bracket they are using. Its not a standard stroboframe, and the flash is way too tight to the camera. Anyone know?

[Wilt]

I wonder what type of bracket they are using. Its not a standard stroboframe, and the flash is way too tight to the camera. Anyone know?

It could be nothing other than a flat bar with a shoe that is at the level of the camera base. I used one of those 40 years ago!

[Curtis N]

A rigid flash bracket is the easiest thing to make. Take a piece of metal. Bend it. Drill two holes in it. Screw your camera to one end and your sync cord to the other end. Done.

[scokar]

If i ran the paparazzi division at canon, I would design a flash that would try to disrupt other cameras while taking advantage of their flash to get the money shot.

[mattograph]

Hmmmmm. Great idea. An infared jamming system maybe. Put it on all canons, and render the noinks impudent.

Apparently there is evil in photography.

[modemanual]

If i ran the paparazzi division at canon, I would design a flash that would try to disrupt other cameras while taking advantage of their flash to get the money shot.
Would that mean a 360 degree sweep of the flash?