Diffuser or no diffuser?

[Singhy]

Hey there guys need help once again, Im going to shoot some weddings shots this week and have recently got a external flash for my 1000D, I was wondering if I should use a diffuser? I'll be shooting in a temple (flash can be used) and will a diffuser be of any help? Can anybody link me to any links to help me decide what angle the flash should be in what sitations?

I seriously dont like the onboard one, it gives harsh lighting on peoples faces and dosent look nice at all!!!

Any help will be SUPERB :D

[Wilt]

A little late to be experimenting with new equipment which are are not familar with, at a wedding!

[Singhy]

Yeh very true but its not that important if I dont take any pictures at all, just want to keep a personal record of the event and maybe share some photos if any good :)

[hawkeye60]

The biggest benefit to off camera flash is that you can bounce it to soften the light. The angle depends on what you are using to bounce it, ceiling, wall, etc. With a diffuser you don't have to bounce the light.

[Big Mike]

In most situations, the easiest way to improve your lighting (over on-camera flash) is to bounce the flash. It could be off of the ceiling, off of a wall, or anything around. You will have to figure that out what works best for yourself.

[Wilt]

OK, glad to hear that your photographs are not something the bride is relying upon!

SIZE matters for diffusers. Those which bounce against the ceiling depend upon the virtual size increase for their effectiveness. In temple with high ceilings (or off white), you cannot depend upon ceiling bounce, both because of much intensity drop off and because of color contamination of the light. A truly large source, like a softbox, effectively becomes small (and harsh) with distance...they stay soft only up relatively close. If high ceilings or if outdoors, don't bother with light modifiers, they will simply use up flash power and drain your batteries faster as a result.

[bobbyz]

Didn't curtis did shome tests where he showed that flash can work well even in high ceilings case as long as you use higher ISOs of modern dSLRs. I would try on camera bounced flash rather than using simple plastic diffuser.

[FLiPMaRC]

No way I would bounce my flash in this church because of wood ceilings.
http://www.pbase.com/marcjosef/image/114716758/large.jpg

So I used a cheap bounce card off eBay.
http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/2/5/5/4/7/5/webimg/278352966_o.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/marcjosef/image/114714945/large.jpg

[Curtis N]

Didn't curtis did shome tests where he showed that flash can work well even in high ceilings case as long as you use higher ISOs of modern dSLRs.True.

But it was a white ceiling in a gymnasium.

Bounce flash is not always the best option. It really depends on the venue, where you are and where the subject is, among other factors.

It's really hard to give the OP specific advice without being there. But what he/she needs most is some foundation knowledge about light, and some practice.

For the foundation knowledge, try
http://strobist.blogspot.com

[bobbyz]

In addition to strobist site, I recommend planet neil tangents.

http://www.planetneil.com/tangents/