I stayed home all day today playing with ways to make bouncers and diffusers because I don't have a hot shoe on my camera, which is a bummer. I've been playing with my 'prototypes' and might find time sometime in this next week to build sturdier versions. Run out to Michael's to get plastic and mirrors and stuff.
Anyway, this is my prototype bouncer. What a bouncer does it bounces light, lol. I have examples below. It took forever to construct, mostly because I was trying to figure what angle I needed and I didn't have rulers or anything....oh and I built it out of styrofoam plates, index cards, tape, and aluminum foil, haha.
Below is my prototype diffuser, diffuses light, lol. Built this out of a drinking bottle my husband never uses, paper, tape, and aluminum foil. I was hoping the bottle would be enough, but flash was still really strong in one direction every time so I lined it with paper, which did the trick.
On the one below, I used the bouncer. I think it came out great, looks very natural. If I had posted one without flash the picture would have been a lot darker, not as vivid and kind of blurry. I would take a picture without flash but Wyatt's awake now, haha. I used florescent setting because auto was really warm, turned everything orange.
This is just flash. I just used the smart capture setting. With the other 2, I set aperature to 2.8, I'm pretty sure smart capture did the same thing, but I'm not sure. Flash didn't do too bad of a job, but lighting is kind of uneven. Notice how it's a little darker toward the back, same with diffuser
With the next 3 pictures, I want you to look at the shadows. I used the diffuser with this first one. Soft shadows colors are pretty accurate.
I used the bouncer on this one. It's a little darker, there is no shadow behind the subject, but there is shadowing on the lower part of her face.
Subject: Wyatt - He's a very sweaty sleeper, for whatever reason, my camera wouldn't auto focus on his face and I ended up focusing on the diaper, but moving the spot focus onto his face...and voila not very clear/crisp pictures.
I used the diffuser on this one. There was a lot of white, and looks kind of flashy still. I used daylight setting for white balance because auto was too warm for me.
I used the diffuser on this one. There was a lot of white, and looks kind of flashy still. I used daylight setting for white balance because auto was too warm for me.
On the one below, I used the bouncer. I think it came out great, looks very natural. If I had posted one without flash the picture would have been a lot darker, not as vivid and kind of blurry. I would take a picture without flash but Wyatt's awake now, haha. I used florescent setting because auto was really warm, turned everything orange.
This is just flash. I just used the smart capture setting. With the other 2, I set aperature to 2.8, I'm pretty sure smart capture did the same thing, but I'm not sure. Flash didn't do too bad of a job, but lighting is kind of uneven. Notice how it's a little darker toward the back, same with diffuser
With the next 3 pictures, I want you to look at the shadows. I used the diffuser with this first one. Soft shadows colors are pretty accurate.
I used the bouncer on this one. It's a little darker, there is no shadow behind the subject, but there is shadowing on the lower part of her face.
Flash, I kind of got a little bit too close with this one, but...with flash you sometimes get picures like this, where your subject is really washed out, and have pretty harsh shadows behind it. I think the diffuser wins this time, unless you like the effect the others have.
Diffuser, what it looks like when it goes off, nothing too crazy. I should have changed the white balance, but oh well. Oh, and all of these pictures are taken with ISO at 64, I could have raised it, but didn't want to see any noise. I also took these in the dark.
Bouncer, see, bounces light at the ceiling, but you can definitely angle your camera. But I'll have to say that you are a lot more limited in what you can do, bouncing at different angles and walls is a lot easier with an external flash, but I don't have that option.
Normal flash, see the difference?
I know this is an extremely geeky post, but oh well :) I don't recommend using the bouncer outside, because they wont do anything at all. Bouncers should be used indoors and only if you have light colored ceilings. My ceilings are pretty high about 12 feet, but it still worked, they're a really pale warm beige color.
Normal flash, see the difference?
I know this is an extremely geeky post, but oh well :) I don't recommend using the bouncer outside, because they wont do anything at all. Bouncers should be used indoors and only if you have light colored ceilings. My ceilings are pretty high about 12 feet, but it still worked, they're a really pale warm beige color. 
1 comments:
That's not geeky, it's highly interesting! Where did you find out about all that stuff and how to do it? I just have a standard digital camera, would it be possible to do something like that with one of those?
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