But, it also features vertical rings, ensuring even illumination and minimizing power loss. So much so it can light up an entire small room, eliminating many unwanted shadows with a soft light in the process.
In addition, it connects to most flash units using a velcro strap for a snug fit. The FlashBender comes in five variations, including reflectors, softboxes, and a complete lighting system. The Large Soft Box Kit, in particular, offers the best versatility. It measures inch in size and attaches to most flash units using a quick release buckle and attachment strap. And, it collapses and folds neatly for easy traveling, saving valuable space.
But, with such a large size, it produces soft directional light. And a light that you can mold and shape to conserve precious battery life, rather than scattering it unnecessarily. You can also use the FlashBender as a large shapeable reflector, perfect for bouncing the light onto a ceiling. Or great for off-camera flash photography as a gobo or snoot. But a tool that also offers more flexibility and directionality to boot. There are many styles of flash diffusers.
But the most common are domes, reflectors, and softboxes. Domes resemble translucent bowls that fit over the flash head. When the flash fires, it hits the interior surface, illuminating the dome then diffusing and scattering the light. Reflectors attach to the rear of the flash unit and bounce the light to diffuse it. And they deliver a similar result as bouncing light from a wall or ceiling. Lastly, the softbox attaches to the flash unit directly.
And it uses a large translucent material that directs the flash to diffuse the light. Each of these styles has its benefits.
The light is made weaker overall, and provides shadow fill where effectively bounced. Light from a speedlight flash is very directional; it comes from the flash head towards the subject. With a diffuser, the light becomes way less directional. The light is scattered across all directions from the flash, now only a fraction of the total flash output hits directly onto the subject. The effect that a diffuser has is that it decreases the intensity of flash light hitting the subject.
The image may appear dimmer with a diffuser on than without. Where bounce material is available close to the subject, the diffused rays of light from the flash may be effectively bounced back onto shadow areas of the subject to provide shadow fill.
Ideally, the bounce material needs to be held close enough to the flash and the subject for the diffuser to be able to make a difference, because the flash is a relatively weak and specular light source.
It needs to operate within a contained space in order to make a visible difference. Alternatively, it will help if the diffused flash is used in a small room with low ceilings and white walls, which brings the bounced light back onto the subject.
The result is more even illumination, as some light has been redirected from the highlights areas to the shadow areas. It does not do harm per se, but where not used properly, it cuts down the amount of light hitting your subject and causes a waste of flash power.
It is also an excessive weight to carry around. It needs to be used with a reflector for it to do its job. Otherwise, flash diffusers do little to photos. As explained above, the set of circumstances under which a flash diffuser can have an effect on your photos is rather specific.
One, there needs to be a material that is able to bounce that light off, and two, everything needs to be close enough so that the light is not dissipated into the environment. Where these criteria are not met, the flash diffuser becomes a pointless bit of extra weight on top of your flash head, which can weigh you down where the setup is hung on your shoulders over long hours. Flash diffusers usually have little use outdoors even with a reflector.
The diffused light needs to be bounced back towards the subject for it to make a visible difference. In an outdoor environment, especially an open area without walls, this needs to be done by setting up reflectors. It works best where the flash, bouncer and subject are close to each other.
Technically, the distinction is less so about outdoors vs indoors than the availability of bounce surfaces. I have shot in large rooms where no neutral-coloured wall could act as a bounce, or outdoors where a near-white ball can be used nearby the subject.
The only key to getting a flash diffuser to do what it is supposed to do is to effectively pair it up with a bounce surface. The light that is diffused to other directions need to redirected back to the shadow areas on the subject to provide fill. If not, you will need to bring reflectors to act as a bounce surface. But as I have explained above, the light from the flash needs to be in close proximity with the reflector and the subject for the flash light to make a conspicuous difference.
The shape affects the directions in which the flash light travels and their respective proportions. A hemisphere spreads light out equally in all directions, whereas a cuboid mainly redirects the light upwards. The results, though, can be minute depending whether there is an effective bounce material to go with the diffuser. The key difference between a diffuser and a softbox is that a softbox enlarges the size of the light source while a diffuser does not.
They create the softest light, and they work well in most situations. Diffusers are reasonably easy to use. You can even pair them with additional techniques for getting great results. You need to fit Dome, sphere, softbox, and pop-up diffusers over the flashgun with the head pointing towards the subject. The light shoots through the diffusion material. The large surface area of the diffuser — not the strobe — should face the subject.
Bounce diffusers can vary on use based on the brand you get. Check with the instructions that come with your light modifier or look for a video tutorial with your specific model.
When I learned using strobes , I added in both a diffuser and manual flash mode. I then went even further with off-camera flash. Using manual mode lets you turn down the intensity of the strobe yourself. The manual mode uses fractions to turn your flashgun from full power to dim to send the right amount of light.
Doing so adds a bit of contrast , catchlights to the eyes, and a bit of fill light. Then, I check the image and turn the power up or down as needed. To dive more into manual mode, read more here. A bare flash can be used to create drama and drown out the background light. But diffusers can help the strobe seamlessly blend with the rest of the scene for a more natural look. If you want to add a bit of light, contrast, fill light, or catchlights , then diffusers are essential accessories.
Diffusers come in many types. Most are a relatively affordable photography accessory , so consider investing in them. Want to learn more about basic photography techniques? Check out our ebook Photography Unlocked next! How to adjust the filter for bolder colors and a dramatic result. Share with friends Share. Show Comments 0 Hide Comments. Related Articles. The flash has become a vital piece of gear in many areas of photography.
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