does anyone use a flash bracket anymore?

cdifoto wrote in post #10396411
I use mine at weddings because it maintains the position of my bounce (essentially rotating the camera) without having to turn the flash head itself all the time. Most brackets are poorly designed and you end up fiddling with the flash all day anyway, which makes THOSE useless, IMHO......

Yessir .... +1 on that. I bought my Newton camera rotator back in 2006 and use it at every wedding and social event. Mine puts the flash head about 4" above the lens, and gives some very nice modelling. Here are a few shots of my setup:

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=338933

I still bounce my flash indoors but it's the rotation and being able to keep the flash top-dead-center to the lens that is the main use Crissa.

Bryan, a number of folks here have either stopped using them or never did. A fair number still do. It's not quite the religious argument of filter vs. no filter.... just usually headbutts into discussions of diffusers and other so-called light modifiers that claim to completely function the way a bracket does - which of course is not true.

Yep I bought mine because I want to maintain my lighting in verticals AND horizontals...even when bouncing. You don't need a bracket just to bounce, but the right bracket makes it easier to keep your flash's position and therefore the directionality of the light you're bouncing.

Some go with the camera rotator model.... others like the flash rotator units. I was a little bit concerned about the torque force that would be applied to the foot of the older 580ex as a possible "week point," so I opted for the camera rotator model.

SuzyView wrote in post #10396584
I use a sto-fen one some of the time. Depends on the room and the situation. I do try with or without it. But it's a nice bracket. I have this one:

http://www.amazon.com …ics&qid=1277073​518&sr=1-4

Why do I like it? It's lightweight, the camera is very solidly on it, I can put it on a tripod and it's not awful to carry around all day long.

Looks good but all the weight of carrying the thing around is still on the left hand/arm and I'm not a hulk hogan or 30 years old anymore

So I'm trying to find a way to get good, non-harsh lighting where I can't bounce.

Shooting wrote in post #10397448
Looks good but all the weight of carrying the thing around is still on the left hand/arm and I'm not a hulk hogan or 30 years old anymore

So I'm trying to find a way to get good, non-harsh lighting where I can't bounce.

Off camera flash.

Shooting wrote in post #10397448
So I'm trying to find a way to get good, non-harsh lighting where I can't bounce.

Off camera flash is nice but many times unrealistic. I don't have time to drag a light stand around nor do I use assistants.


Google the Demb flip-it. It does very well when direct flash seems like your only alternative, like outdoors for example.

It does a good job when shooting up close and does take the "sting" out of the shadows. But at long distances, and just like most modifiers it doesn't do anything except waste light.

Pretty much the only time I use a flash, it's on a bracket,. Wimberly,. but that;s for long range bird photography. no bounce!

It's funny that the trend has changed, given the amount of time effort money and ingenuity that seems to go into these erector set flash brackets!

Off camera flash is something a professional should understand, and should probably use if direct flash is your only other alternative. Yes you need another person, an assistant or someone from the wedding if you must, but the results are worth it.

No on-camera diffuser is particularly effective.

Sometimes I'll settle for direct flash. I don't have it in me to ask someone from the wedding to set up my lights. They probably wouldn't know what to do anyway.

Keep it from blowing over in the wind, sure. I've had the officiant do that much before.

CyberDyneSystems wrote in post #10397799
Pretty much the only time I use a flash, it's on a bracket,. Wimberly,. but that;s for long range bird photography. no bounce!

It's funny that the trend has changed, given the amount of time effort money and ingenuity that seems to go into these erector set flash brackets!

Has the trend really changed? I honestly don't know - we see some comments to that effect here, but anytime I do weddings at other large multi-event venues with other photographers, I still see brackets in strong use. Maybe it's just a Midwest thing....

I like off camera flash a lot, but it sometimes is not available and my 2 assistants are trainees. Most reception halls will allow stands, if asked in advance. And you should be fully insured as anything can fall on you or anyone else.

RT McAllister wrote in post #10397771
Off camera flash is nice but many times unrealistic. I don't have time to drag a light stand around nor do I use assistants.

Google the Demb flip-it. It does very well when direct flash seems like your only alternative, like outdoors for example.

It does a good job when shooting up close and does take the "sting" out of the shadows. But at long distances, and just like most modifiers it doesn't do anything except waste light.

I have the flipit and the results are very much less desired for me. When I have to back up and shoot a group the flipit doesn't "push" enough light forward to light up the group and plus it gives side shadows just like the lightsphere. Since I cannot afford to pay any assistants, it is just me and my 580exII and that is it. Direct flash many times is too harsh and too easy to blow highlights in the dress but it keeps the shadows behind the people, almost non-noticeable.

Shooting wrote in post #10400063
I have the flipit and the results are very much less desired for me. When I have to back up and shoot a group the flipit doesn't "push" enough light forward to light up the group and plus it gives side shadows just like the lightsphere. ......

If you are getting side shadows, then it sounds like you still have have the flash unit either to the left or right of lens.

Also, I'm not sure how it's supposed to "push" more light forward either.... it's just a bracket, and unless it provides a magnifying lens for the flash, it will only raise it up and not increase it's power. If your flash is falling off then you either need to get a more powerful unit, raise your ISO, or use a larger aperture as just a couple of suggestions.

Hey Sta, the FlipIt is a fancy adjustable catchlight card. It's not a bracket.

cdifoto wrote in post #10401236
Hey Sta, the FlipIt is a fancy adjustable catchlight card. It's not a bracket.

Right - I got that part. I'm just confused about how Shooting is using it or what his expectations are. I don't own one myself, but it's actually a pretty decent product that does what it promises..... nothing more nothing less.

The pro who shot both of my daughter's weddings uses it, but in combination with one of those Custom Brackets (camera rotator model.) It did a very nice job of evening out the light, filling in eyes, minimizing hot spots ..... eliminating shadows - but again he's using it with a rotating bracket, and typically not beyond about 12-15' max due to the fall off. He also got very evenly lighted table shots with it.