Bounce Card I made... did I put it in the right position for portraits?

smorter wrote in post #16568633
I originally read this and thought - what is Shooting smoking?

But actually this is true in certain circumstances.

When a bounce card is pointing straight up, the larger the bounce card, the more light that will get reflected forward. There will be a point where the bounce card becomes so large that any forward reflected light will look very soft anyway, but for very small bounce cards, switching from a business card sized bounce card to an A4 sized bounce card will probably yield more harsher looking results due to the additional direct flash. Just a theory.

I don't use any bounce cards

if I had fast lenses I wouldn't either.

hes gone wrote in post #16570122
=he's gone;16570122]given the choice, I'd choose being the guy in the post below, over being the guy in the post above.

in fact, i'd rather miss the shot than be the guy in the plaid shirt.

Hahahaha agreed!

Anyone remember the movie Dune? When they walked around these floating devices would follow people and provide light.

The tech is there. All these new small helicopter devices out there now. You just need a silent motors and a tracking system so it always follows you at a certain distance & angle. Put a big reflector on it and there you go. No extra weight, you always have bounce flash and you would be a hit at every event

hes gone wrote in post #16570122
=he's gone;16570122]given the choice, I'd choose being the guy in the post below, over being the guy in the post above.

https://photography-on-the.net …hp?p=15799998&p​ostcount=5

WTF?

That guy is a noob - the lighting is fine in that building - all that natural light from the left hand side massive strip of windows gives perfect lighting. Just don't shoot backlit and it's fine

smorter wrote in post #16571677
WTF?

That guy is a noob - the lighting is fine in that building - all that natural light from the left hand side massive strip of windows gives perfect lighting. Just don't shoot backlit and it's fine

Go big or go home!!!!

Actually, it's explained in post ten of that thread.

digital paradise wrote in post #16569480
Here is a design you may me interested in. I made one for less than $10. However like smorter I'm not much of a bounce card user.

http://super.nova.org/​DPR/DIY01/

That general design looks like what Peter Gregg was advocating before he went commercial with his better bounce card.

His (Peter Gregg) original video had the top flipping forward like Chuck Gardner's DIY01 images.

The benefit of that is it will push more light forward instead of just letting it loose on the sky.

Brea wrote in post #16558994
I bought a big white fan at a dollar store than just attached elastic bands to it... I attached the fan to the SIDE of the flash, is this correct? I will be shooting an event tomorrow, hoping to just use it as fill flash OUTDOORS, help please

http://gyazo.com …234af31c2dfb469​a644b5.png

Tilting your flash head forward 45 degrees will help bounce more light forward. Not being able to use your flash as fill will create harsh shadows and unbalanced lighting, making everything behind your subjects dark, very dark, or black. This makes balanced light a must.

Since it's always a good idea to be familiar with your bounce method, here is another option (indoor flash), Neil van Niekerk's "Black Foamie Thing" and more.

I haven't utilized the black foamie thing yet, testing or otherwise, but I have several better bounce cards (self made, folding tops) that I keep with me in case the occasion warrants it.

Be aware that tilting the flash head forward 45° will introduce direct flash onto the subject. This means that the bounced light from the reflector will most likely be overpowered by direct flash.

SkipD wrote in post #16559193
At the very least, you should bend the reflector forward (toward the subject) about 45° so that it reflects most of the light toward the subject. The fact that the reflector is significantly larger than the bare flash means that the reflected light should provide softer shadows on and behind the subject.

A significant improvement would be gained by using a flash bracket that holds the flash (and your reflector) directly above the lens regardless of the camera's position ("landscape" vs "portrait" position).

SFzip wrote in post #16572159
Be aware that tilting the flash head forward 45° will introduce direct flash onto the subject. This means that the bounced light from the reflector will most likely be overpowered by direct flash.

^

The angle of the reflector will change the relative contribution of forward-bounced vs. ceiling bounced light.

1. The forward bounce, at minimum angle or straight up card, contributes a reflected catchlight seen in the eyes and also reduces the shadowing under the chin and eyesockets seen with pure ceiling bounce.
   
2. At max angle with card at 45 degrees, virtually all of the light is bounced forward by the card, and since it is much larger in area than the native flash lens it will cast much softer edged shadows.
   

hes gone wrote in post #16570122
=he's gone;16570122]given the choice, I'd choose being the guy in the post below, over being the guy in the post above.

https://photography-on-the.net …hp?p=15799998&p​ostcount=5

in fact, i'd rather miss the shot than be the guy in the plaid shirt.

If you're gonna do it, might as well do it right....
http://petapixel.com …g-edge-fashion-statement/

or this...
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=0k1LK6pmozs

Wilt wrote in post #16572686
[LIST=1]

The forward bounce, at minimum angle or straight up card, contributes a reflected catchlight seen in the eyes and also reduces the shadowing under the chin and eyesockets seen with pure ceiling bounce.

imo the shadowing under chins and eyesockets is caused by user error through incorrect bounce flash. A properly executed pure bounce flash should never cause shadowing.

Unfortunately so many people incompetently execute pure bounce flash that it's created a market for bounce cards

Great diagram btw!

So many ideas in here ... and diagrams. Love the strobe umbrella backpack!

I know your event has passed, and I'm no pro, but I thought I'd share these so you can see something I've used before with some success. I agree that the OP's first idea is just too unwieldy. It would drive me nuts. I also agree that with the tightness of the beam that close to the flash face, you need to tilt the reflector into the beam a bit.

This takes about 2 minutes to devise, a simple card with a pinch in the middle I put a staple in to cause it to bend into the beam a little, then attach with a rubber band. The flash is pointing straight up, so no direct flash is introduced and you get a lot of soft reflected light from around the room. It is not tilted here, but when I put it on the camera it was tilted and aimed at the ceiling with the camera in vertical orientation, as in the OP.

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John, if you want absolutely no flash shadow, point your flash over your left shoulder and do not put anything on the flash.

The exact position would be:
- start at the direct flash forward position
- swivel flash head anti-clockwise 135 degrees
- tilt the flash head up 45 degrees
(the flash should now be pointing and casting a beam of light over your left shoulder)

Absolutely, smorter, I do that often. I was simply trying to address the OP's original question about his DIY fix. For what he was trying to do, I think the small card is a better way to get there.

I often do what you suggest. I've seen your diagram for the 'reverse bounce' flash in other threads. Love this example of that technique, for instance.

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Walls are usually bad news but you can work around it like smorter said by throwing the flash over your shoulder. The above shot the father told the girls line up against the wall. Don't know why but everyone always heads for walls. I said no, just stand in the hallway. Not the best comp, they were tired after the dance recital, etc so trying to find a better spot would have not worked. I tried to keep the people to the left in the background out of the shot thus the wall on the right. Still better than being against the wall.

Put your back to wall. Corners are even better, add the ceiling if you can. With a shallow DOF you can get nice background lighting, etc depending on event you are shooting.

That is a gorgeous shot, dp!

I'm not sure I understand our comment about walls, though. You mean don't bounce off a wall? I get that. But bouncing behind me into the juncture of a wall/ceiling works. I'm not following you. What was behind you in that shot? An open hallway? Please describe what was around you and where you aimed the flash. Thanks!

Sorry for the threadjack, but I think the OP's topic has been dealt with pretty much. I am curious about that shot.