FLASH: "To bounce, not bounce or sto-fen"

[Bohlen Photo]

Anybody have some general rules on when to bounce, not bounce or omni bounce?
- group formals 3/4 shots shoulder shots



My wedding kit is the Stroboframe cameraflip, 20D, 580 ex , and omnibounce handy if needed.

I anticipate 45 degree bounce at reception hall of course but really struggling in church...the camerflip gets it high enough that head on is what I'm guessing you'll say for groups go flash straight on, then with the sto-fen omnibounce for couple formals. Probably 1/3 plus on F.E.C. for the 20D throughout the day?
But I await you take on the issue.

[Bohlen Photo]

Please try to specify the degrees or straight up if talking about bouncing upward.

[rvt1000]

if you've got the stofen, why not bounce straight up.... the omni boucne itself will diffuse some light straight into the scene? assuming of course there are no harsh shadows creeping in

[Curtis N]

I've never been a fan of the 45 degree technique. First, the amount of light that hits your subject directly will depend on your lens focal length and how you have the flash head zoomed. In some cases, it might make the top of the frame brighter than the bottom. Secondly, it can sometimes light up the ceiling directly above your subject, and being lit from directly above is often not flattering, especially for older people.

I bounce whenever there is something to bounce off of and my subject is close enough that I have enough power. I point the flash head straight up and use either a 3x5 card or the Lumiquest 80/20 to provide some direct illumination and catchlights.

The Sto-fen omnibounce is the most oversold, overused flash attachment out there. I have seen it used in many situations where it will do more harm than good. It will throw the light EVERYWHERE, which sometimes works well, but it wastes some of the light by lighting up the floor. If I had one, I would probably point it straight up.

[Tee Why]

for the group shot, I'd probably use the stofen.
I think if you go to their site, it shows how the diffuser spreads the light over a greater angle, so a whole room is lit vs, just the center without the diffuser.

for the portrait, I think it's upto you to bounce or diffuse. I'd probably try both and see if there is any diff, if there is one, then go with the one you like better.

[SuzyView]

I don't agree that the Omnibounce is useless. I used it for group shots last week and the flash work was very good. I had it at 45 degrees or up more towards the ceiling, the gym had bad yellow lighting and the ceiling was very high. I had hardly any shadows and the subjects were in focus (went manual most of the time). I'd say to try it out before hand. I had the my 20D with 24-70L with Press-T bracket and 580EX. That set up is great. Now next month I have a formal shoot where I have to stage the group of 4-6 people and I will have 550EX and 580EX on umbrella stands and ST-E2 on the 20D. Formal shots are a little bit more complicated.

[Titus213]

I just shot an event (for free) and decided to try straight bounce, no diffuser. I use the Stroboframe CameraFlip on my 20D with a 550EX flash. The ceiling was low enough and white enough for bounce but the comment about getting the top of the picture brighter than the bottom is correct. Very easy to do. I'll use the LSII or the Lumiquest ProMax System from now on. Prefer the Lumiquest for efficiency.

[kawter2]

Originally Posted by Curtis N

It will throw the light EVERYWHERE, which sometimes works well, but it wastes some of the light by lighting up the floor.

Yah california is in a light drought these days.. you can get a ticket for wasting too much light!