Macro with natural light/cheapy flashgun?

I plan to purchase the 100mm f2.8 canon macro lens in the next 2 weeks. Im a bit worried about how my shots would turn out as i dont have a classy flash unit/bracket/set up, ive only got a cheapo flashgun and that just washes everything out and burns the image with close ups (havent tried it with a diffuser though).

I DO plan to buy a good flash unit in a few months or so when i have enough money but for now some examples of natural light shots or just general advice would be lovely.

Thanks

David.

If you can't control the output of the flashgun, then layer paper towels over the end of it until the light is diffused and soft enough to give you a good exposure. Paper towels are great diffusers, and thin enough that you can tailor the amount of light you get out of the flash pretty easily.

When I first started shooting macro I used a cheapo flash and only used it in manual mode. Not only did it give me good insights into how flash exposures work at macro distances, but it made sure I know the exact amount of light I would be getting out of every shot (something you don't exactly know with ETTL-II).

Good advice above- but don't forget you can take beautiful macros with natural light especially if it's slightly cloudy - direct bright sun doesn't tend to give good results but does depend on the subject
some examples below

that 2nd from last shot.. WOW!!!!!

You can do ok with a cheap flash, mine cost(brand new) less than £20, its just a matter of practice, practice and more practice. All the images in the link were taken with the said flash ...

http://www.flickr.com/​photos/action_man/

looks like all LordV's naturals are 1/200 at ISO400, only the aperture varies.

Classy bracket that is also a cheapy...

I bought my Siegelite flash bracket several years ago at a garage sale for five dollars. It has become a great macro flash bracket.

I have recently seen some of these brackets on eBay (none right at this second though) and they have gone for between five and twenty-five dollars.

I hand hold the unit, however you can attach it to a tripod as I have done for this image.

You can jury rig a softbox type diffuser from some cardboard or foam board and tissue paper or cheese cloth.

You would need a sync connection to the camera. A Canon Off camera Sync Cord for Canon type flashes or a PC sync cord for generic flash that is either manually operated or has Thyristor exposure control.

If you don't have a PC socket on your camera (Most Rebels don't) you can get an adapter which fits on the hotshoe of the camera and has a PC socket.

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