Bounce flash vs shooting through umbrella

[Don89]

Shall I…???

You’ve posted these in prior threads.

Lol

Just wondering how those images would have looked, if I had 'placed a white V-Flat in front of the window and fired the flashes into it'... which is why I posted them.

Because it's hard to describe what I'm thinking - much easier to just let you see an image instead... even if it is one that I have used to illustrate something else before.

Because a picture is worth more than 1000 words... and all that.

Cheers,
Ashley.
www.ampimage.com

--
I am the copyright owner of my work. Please don’t take or alter my images.

 

[A-Marc]

ahh come on ! not again ! seen that story hundred times in the past. the story plot never changes Don.

it s next to shut down of this forum, why not just leave this place in thankful manner.

 

[Don89]

ahh come on ! not again ! seen that story hundred times in the past. the story plot never changes Don.

it s next to shut down of this forum, why not just leave this place in thankful manner.

Lol….!!!

you'll need way more than a thousand words to beat up that photo!

all bounce flashes out of umbrellas!

--
I am the copyright owner of my work. Please don’t take or alter my images.

 

[DannH]

Thanks for everyones input, has been very useful. I've watched the video and had a bit more of a play this weekend with bouncing the flash to the side and behind.

The results have certainly been better than bouncing the flash off the celing, but still not quite what I was hoping for. The photo's have turned out well... like they look like they have been taken with a flash and not a soft flattering light you would get from natural light. Will have to try and experiment with the flash power and angles a bit more!

 

[DannH]

Here’s a thought Place a white V-Flat maybe in front of the window and fire the flashes into it. Widen and narrow the shape of the v-flat to taste and also slide it closer or further from the subject. Fire directly to the middle of the v-flat or favor one side or another. Shadows too deep? Place a white reflector on the opposite side of the subject to lighten shadows

It may help if we saw some examples - because 'we' are all possibly imaging very different images here, of what both the room looks like and the "family photos of my kids" look like.

(Amanda with her two sons, Bailie & Oliver, over the years)

Cheers,
Ashley.
www.ashleymorrison.com

I don't really like posting family photo's online, but the room is approx 3 x 5 metres with a bay window down one side, which gets the sun during the day. Walls and ceiling are white.

I'm doing a mix of general photo's of the kids playing and also other more posed against a backdrop. I tend to use either a 35 1.4 or 50 1.4.

I'd say the below link gives the type of lightning I would like to achieve when I can't rely on good window light.

Improve your portrait photography: Lighting with bounce flash - Tangents

Improve your portrait photography: Lighting with bounce flash For a straight-forward but effective portrait like this, there are just a few things that have to come together … all within your control as the photographer: Framing / Composition This is mostly as simple as looking at the edges of...

neilvn.com

Although my flash shots at the moment are nearer to the first image on the link below.

5 Simple Bounce Flash Photography Tips

 

[A-Marc]

I don't really like posting family photo's online, but the room is approx 3 x 5 metres with a bay window down one side, which gets the sun during the day. Walls and ceiling are white.

I'm doing a mix of general photo's of the kids playing and also other more posed against a backdrop. I tend to use either a 35 1.4 or 50 1.4.

I'd say the below link gives the type of lightning I would like to achieve when I can't rely on good window light.

https://neilvn.com/tangents/improve-your-portrait-photography-lighting/

Although my flash shots at the moment are nearer to the first image on the link below.

https://snapshot.canon-asia.com/article/eng/5-simple-bounce-flash-photography-tips

you will not get your white walls look gray by just bouncing the lights off center. shoot with a gray background and you get similar results as in your first link.

 

[Gato Amarillo]

https://neilvn.com/tangents/improve-your-portrait-photography-lighting/

Although my flash shots at the moment are nearer to the first image on the link below.

https://snapshot.canon-asia.com/article/eng/5-simple-bounce-flash-photography-tips

I'm thinking you're getting too much "fill" light bouncing around in the room. You might try moving your subject closer to the wall you're bouncing off. Or see the last example in this video, using the 'black foamie thing' beginning around 10:50

review: comparing various light modifiers for on-camera flash

review: comparing various light modifiers for on-camera flash

neilvn.com

Gato

 

[ampimagedotcom]

I'd say the below link gives the type of lightning I would like to achieve when I can't rely on good window light.

https://neilvn.com/tangents/improve-your-portrait-photography-lighting/

I'm thinking you're getting too much "fill" light bouncing around in the room.

I agree... especially if he bounces the light of a wall in a room that size.

So I think the OP should try "shooting through umbrella" instead of bouncing the light of the walls, based on seeing that image that he likes.

Cheers,
Ashley.
www.ampimage.com

 

[Off The Mark]

I'd say the below link gives the type of lightning I would like to achieve when I can't rely on good window light.

https://neilvn.com/tangents/improve-your-portrait-photography-lighting/

I'm thinking you're getting too much "fill" light bouncing around in the room.

I agree... especially if he bounces the light of a wall in a room that size.

So I think the OP should try "shooting through umbrella" instead of bouncing the light of the walls, based on seeing that image that he likes.

Cheers,
Ashley.
www.ampimage.com

I think that the original poster is schizophrenic

By that, I mean the original poster mentioned things like "natural" light and bay windows, but then as Ashley noted - they appeared to like the type of lighting which is (arguably) better achieved by a shoot through umbrella (even though I understand the example image was shot with bounce flash).

Maybe the OP can take a photo of themselves in the room they want to shoot in with an attempt at bounce lighting, and then let us know what they like / don't like about it? They can blur out their face if they would prefer.

Or maybe I am confused (I did mention that "natural light" is one of my trigger words). To me, Ashley's sample images look much more like "natural light" that NVN's bounce flash examples (which look great in their own right, but just not anything I would consider to be "natural light").