Flash

cccott3 · Sep 5, 2011

I am going to use a white business card to bounce my pop up flash on my canon rebel xs. Since I'm trying to bounce the light off of the ceiling will it matter that I have high ceilings? And should I still cover the flash with TP if I'm going to use the card?

gsgary · Sep 5, 2011

cccott3 said:
I am going to use a white business card to bounce my pop up flash on my canon rebel xs. Since I'm trying to bounce the light off of the ceiling will it matter that I have high ceilings? And should I still cover the flash with TP if I'm going to use the card?

Pop up will not be powerful enough, all they are good for is fill flash outside

cccott3 · Sep 5, 2011

Not powerful enough to do the card at all or just with a high ceiling?

gsgary · Sep 5, 2011

cccott3 said:
Not powerful enough to do the card at all or just with a high ceiling?

Try it and find out, don't get too close or the light will go behind the subject and too far and the light will be infront of the subject

KmH · Sep 5, 2011

cccott3 said:
Not powerful enough to do the card at all or just with a high ceiling?

Both, plus.

A business card is way to small and not reflective enough.

There is another problem that is about a natural law of physics called the 'Inverse Square Law'. Inverse-square law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Light power drops as a function of distance. Bouncing the light substantially increase the distance it has to go to get to the subject. The Inverse Square Law notes that if you double the distance, the power of the light is reduced by the square of the distance, or 4 times (2x2=4), not just in half. If you quaduple the distance (4x) the light power is diminished 16 times (4x4=16).

Plus the light spreads out going up to the ceiling and the light spereads out even more coming back down from the ceiling so a lot of the light goes somewhere other than where you want it to be.

Did you realize how much math, and other technical stuff, was involved with doing photography?

cccott3 · Sep 5, 2011

Absolutely not! So now i feel like I'm back where I started? On a previous thread there were comments about my flash being harsh (cant remember what word was actually used). I only have my pop up flash so some people gave me ideas on how to tone it down , the TP and someone posted a link showing how you van use a business card. What am I to do

lol also my my someone gave me 2 light things on stands... Not sure what the are called or how to use them. Think those would help?

pixilstudio · Sep 5, 2011

pop up flashes are good for quick fill flash directly infront of you thats about all they are designed to do. go out an buy a speed light for your next purchase, i guarantee you wont regret it

cccott3 · Sep 5, 2011

pixilstudio said:
pop up flashes are good for quick fill flash directly infront of you thats about all they are designed to do. go out an buy a speed light for your next purchase, i guarantee you wont regret it

What do I get first a speed light or a 50mm f1.8 lens (suggested to me in a previous thread)???

2WheelPhoto · Sep 5, 2011

Both

cccott3 · Sep 5, 2011

Also why that lens? There are like a million how do you know which one to get? I would only be doing pics of people, no flowers or buildings or insects ect.

PatrickJamesYu · Sep 6, 2011

What exactly do you plan to be shooting?
It's hard for us to say unless we can put our selves in the same situation.

Also, the reason for that lens is that it is insanely affordable
very sharp
very quick
and it's an all around good lens.
No or very little distortion so it does good for portraits.
It's considered the 'standard' lens, at least to my understanding.

If you have a crop sensor camera, rather than a full frame, I recommend getting a 35mm ish lens.

it doesn't zoom, so you have to physically move your body/position/stance to get the proper shot
But that will just make you use your mind more and you will become a better photographer.

pixilstudio · Sep 6, 2011

well start by telling us what lens you have,,, personally i cant live without my speed light thats why i have 3

cccott3 · Sep 6, 2011

I just have the kit lens. I want a lens good for doing pics of people, 18-35mm 1:3.-5.6 Is. Thanks for all the help

AgentDrex · Sep 6, 2011

18-35mm will be good for landscapes...50mm to 85mm should be good for some people photography, but I guess I shouldn't say anything as I'm not a people photog...but it seems like a good focal length for portraits...for a cheapie solution, I use a few kleenexes in front of the flash...take a photo of something white while using the kleenex in front of the flash and then set my white balance to that photo...depending on how many you use, you'll get different levels of diffusion...just an idea that may or may not work for you...but of course, if you just buy some off-camera flash units, that would work as well...but remember to buy some diffusers for it...