Where do I point the speedlight...

Mamarazzi514 · Mar 20, 2012

...If we are in a open field and there is not a spot to bounce the flash? Do I just point it slightly up and over their heads? I want to start using my speedlight for fill if I need to outdoors.

Big Mike · Mar 20, 2012

What would you hope to accomplish by pointing it over their heads? :scratch:

If you are outdoors and you have no surface to bounce the light off of, then if you want the light to hit your subjects, you will have to point the light source at them.

Overread · Mar 20, 2012

If you've nothing to bounce the light off aiming it up will simply send the light over their heads (or have the top part of them caught and not the lower. This is why people will be seen with reflectors, umbrellas and softboxes in the field. You could Use a flashstand (weighted down with a heavy object, sandbags are popular) to hold a flash with softbox/umbrella or get an assistant to hold it all in place.

Some flashes also have a bounce card in them which might help if you're aiming the flash upward slightly in pushing a bit more light forward. In a pinch there are also some on-camera softboxes such as the Lumiquest series which, whilst not as soft as bigger softboxes, are at least more suitable for a flash on-camera or on a short flash bracket on the camera

A lot of this depends how you shoot and how much time you have to setup as well as carrying the extra gear and dealing with it (if its more windy it will be much harder to do alone).

Mamarazzi514 · Mar 20, 2012

But isn't that a bad look? A deer in headlights look? I hate the look of a flash straight on and the catchlights smak center of the eye. :/

Mamarazzi514 · Mar 20, 2012

I have a sofen diffuser cap for my speedlight I think that will at least soften my light. I like the idea of a bouncecard, is that something I can DIY?

Overread · Mar 20, 2012

Dead on can be a problem, but if its only lifting the shadows the light will only be a tiny part and the majority will be from the ambient, so you don't quite get that same deer in headlights effect. However as said, if you've the ability to get the flash off-camera - to change the angle and add modifications you can improve the quality considerably.

Note the basics of flash diffusion is the bigger the light source, relative to the subject, the softer the light. The stofen isn't much good outside as its main aim is not to enlarge the light source directly, but spread the light out. In a room it makes the walls the light source (big walls) thus the light is softer. Outside its just wasting flash power so you'd get a very similar effect if you just dialled in some negative flash exposure compensation.

kundalini · Mar 20, 2012

^^ +1.....

or you could go wireless or with a sync cord to get your flash off lens axis.....

or you could get a reflector and reverse fire your hotshoe mounted flash.....

SCraig · Mar 20, 2012

Mamarazzi514 said:
I have a sofen diffuser cap for my speedlight I think that will at least soften my light. I like the idea of a bouncecard, is that something I can DIY?

Piece of white cardboard bent slightly and a large rubber band works just fine.

Mamarazzi514 · Mar 20, 2012

kundalini said:
^^ +1.....or you could go wireless or with a sync cord to get your flash off lens axis.....

or you could get a reflector and reverse fire your hotshoe mounted flash.....

IMG]That is effin awesome kundalini... How much does something like that go for and where'd you get it?!

Mamarazzi514 · Mar 20, 2012

Hold up!! I have a alien bee antenna thing for my hot shoe on my camera and I have a hot shoe adapter for my speedlight will that work?

Overread · Mar 20, 2012

Search for 5 in 1 reflectors. You can get a range of sizes to suit your needs and they are not that expensive.

Big Mike · Mar 20, 2012

Mamarazzi514 said:
Hold up!! I have a alien bee antenna thing for my hot shoe on my camera and I have a hot shoe adapter for my speedlight will that work?

That will help you get the flash off-camera, which can make for much better lighting. But if you're just talking about a little flash for fill, then on-camera would probably be fine.

I have a sofen diffuser cap for my speedlight I think that will at least soften my light. I like the idea of a bouncecard, is that something I can DIY?

That would diffuse the light from the flash, sending it out in all directions...but it won't soften the light. As mentioned, to soften light, you need to increase the relative size of it, compared to the subject. So you could make it larger (soft box or umbrella or bouncing off of a wall) and/or you could move it closer to the subject.

If you are outdoors, using a Stofen (or bounce card etc.) will just waste a bunch of light, causing your flash to work harder...slowing down the recycle times and killing the batteries faster. And again, if you are using this only for fill light, it doesn't really have to be soft.

But isn't that a bad look? A deer in headlights look? I hate the look of a flash straight on and the catchlights smak center of the eye. :/

The deer in the headlights look, usually comes when the on-camera flash is the main source of light. You end up with flat lighting. Moving the flash off-camera can give your lighting some depth by creating highlights and shadows. But if your main source of light is already off-camera, then you can use an on-camera flash for filling in the shadows. To make it look good, you will have to know how to balance flash and ambient exposure.