my first go using off camera flash..

[stan the man]

went to a local beauty spot today with my wife,and took a few shots of her using off camera flash.the flashgun was mounted on my tripod ,and about 6ft in front of her and slightly to the right,diffused by a stof-fen diffuser...

C&C appreciated,and needed to help me improve

 

[philipJvernon]

I like it, it's a good first try.

Just as something to know, a stofen will not diffuse the light, and outside it is pretty pointless having it on as it will just cut the light from your flash making it need more power than it should

 

[stan the man]

I like it, it's a good first try.

Just as something to know, a stofen will not diffuse the light, and outside it is pretty pointless having it on as it will just cut the light from your flash making it need more power than it should

thanks philip..appreciate your comments

i thought a stofen omni bounce would diffuse the light somewhat,making it a less harsh light hitting the subject :shrug: .if this is not the case,then what,if any use is a sto-fen diffuser?

mark

 

[philipJvernon]

thanks philip..appreciate your comments

i thought a stofen omni bounce would diffuse the light somewhat,making it a less harsh light hitting the subject :shrug: .if this is not the case,then what,if any use is a sto-fen diffuser?

mark

As far as I know, they just send the light out in all directions, which if inside, allows the light to bounce off walls/ceilings and gives the effect of softening the light by adding a bit of fill. Outside, there is nothing for it to bounce off so just sending light out into nowhere.

 

[stan the man]

As far as I know, they just send the light out in all directions, which if inside, allows the light to bounce off walls/ceilings and gives the effect of softening the light by adding a bit of fill. Outside, there is nothing for it to bounce off so just sending light out into nowhere.

thanks phil..that makes sense.i have a lot to learn about lighting etc...

so,would a flash mounted softbox,or shoot through/reflector type brolly setup do the job?

 

[Lynton]

erm - it's a stofen diffuser, clue is in the name - basically, makes the light softer.......... similar results (in ann emergency) can be achieved with a (white) paper napkin and elastic band, or hankerchief........ it's just something for the light to pass though t make it less harsh....... I am sure there is a more technical explanation..........

I was led to believe that a sto0fen is ideal in outside conditions, as it softens the light, whereas indoors, the flash can be tilted etc to bounce off a wall or ceiling (of suitable colour) however flash togging is not my speciality.

 

[Lynton]

thanks phil..that makes sense.i have a lot to learn about lighting etc...

so,would a flash mounted softbox,or shoot through/reflector type brolly setup do the job?

softbox with OCF would create a more even spread of light, though its effectiveness is relative to the Gn no of the flash and amount of ambient..... alternatively a reflector could be used.......

 

[specialman]

Good first try; flash has given some extra saturation in the colours but the exposure is good; background is nicely underexposed by a pinch and it looks like you've shot with the subject in shade, which is first-rate thinking. Flash direction is good, although I'd have moved it round a few degrees maybe to get a bit more direction on the light to see if a bit more -drama' could have been created. As a first try though. full marks .

TBH, you don't need the Sto-fen.... all it's doing is sucking power from the flash, meaning you have to dial in more than is needed to get the right exposure. It may have a slight diffusing effect, but at the expense of overall power I'd just use it indoors for bounce flash. Get yourself a cheap softbox or a reflective brolly and they'll give much more immediate changes to the quality of the light. I generally use a softbox for my OCF work - here's an example from another thread - as they're very easy to use to create soft light and drop-off. Plus they're less likely than brollies to suffer wind damage outside.

 

[Gadget_Daddy]

good attempt although I would of had her turned perhaps a few more degrees towards the camera would of created more modelling as the lighting has left her face a bit flat

 

[Auwyn]

The softness/hardness of the light comes from the relative size of the light to the subject. As the Stofen doesnt change the size of the light in relation to your subject, it wont have any impact on the softness of the light in your photo, as stated above.

Inside it can be handy as it is useful for bouncing the light off a wall or ceiling more evenly, which thereby creates a large light source (the wall) and subsequently soft light/shadows on the subject.

 

[specialman]

The softness/hardness of the light comes from the relative size of the light to the subject. As the Stofen doesnt change the size of the light in relation to your subject, it wont have any impact on the softness of the light in your photo, as stated above.

Inside it can be handy as it is useful for bouncing the light off a wall or ceiling more evenly, which thereby creates a large light source (the wall) and subsequently soft light/shadows on the subject.

Spot-on advice.... OP - if this is the kind of thing you are wanting to do on a regular basis there's no reason why bare flash can't be used - but it'll soon annoy you when every shadow ends up being hard, which is why mixing hard and (modified) soft light can help massively, especially with portraits; you can use hard light as highlight edging, and soft light as your main and you have a very versaitile set-up.

 

[stan the man]

erm - it's a stofen diffuser, clue is in the name - basically, makes the light softer.......... similar results (in ann emergency) can be achieved with a (white) paper napkin and elastic band, or hankerchief........ it's just something for the light to pass though t make it less harsh....... I am sure there is a more technical explanation..........

I was led to believe that a sto0fen is ideal in outside conditions, as it softens the light, whereas indoors, the flash can be tilted etc to bounce off a wall or ceiling (of suitable colour) however flash togging is not my speciality.

thats what i thought also,but as i say..only just starting out on the very long road ahead...

thanks lynton

softbox with OCF would create a more even spread of light, though its effectiveness is relative to the Gn no of the flash and amount of ambient..... alternatively a reflector could be used.......

Good first try; flash has given some extra saturation in the colours but the exposure is good; background is nicely underexposed by a pinch and it looks like you've shot with the subject in shade, which is first-rate thinking. Flash direction is good, although I'd have moved it round a few degrees maybe to get a bit more direction on the light to see if a bit more -drama' could have been created. As a first try though. full marks .

TBH, you don't need the Sto-fen.... all it's doing is sucking power from the flash, meaning you have to dial in more than is needed to get the right exposure. It may have a slight diffusing effect, but at the expense of overall power I'd just use it indoors for bounce flash. Get yourself a cheap softbox or a reflective brolly and they'll give much more immediate changes to the quality of the light. I generally use a softbox for my OCF work - here's an example from another thread - as they're very easy to use to create soft light and drop-off. Plus they're less likely than brollies to suffer wind damage outside.

thanks pat..will be looking to get either a softbox or brolly setup in the near future

good attempt although I would of had her turned perhaps a few more degrees towards the camera would of created more modelling as the lighting has left her face a bit flat

thank you pete..will give that a try next time

The softness/hardness of the light comes from the relative size of the light to the subject. As the Stofen doesnt change the size of the light in relation to your subject, it wont have any impact on the softness of the light in your photo, as stated above.

Inside it can be handy as it is useful for bouncing the light off a wall or ceiling more evenly, which thereby creates a large light source (the wall) and subsequently soft light/shadows on the subject.

thank you emma..that makes a lot of sense

Spot-on advice.... OP - if this is the kind of thing you are wanting to do on a regular basis there's no reason why bare flash can't be used - but it'll soon annoy you when every shadow ends up being hard, which is why mixing hard and (modified) soft light can help massively, especially with portraits; you can use hard light as highlight edging, and soft light as your main and you have a very versaitile set-up.

yes pat..i want to eventually have a small home studio at some point,but i like doing outside portraiture,and would like to make the most of my 2 flashguns to give the best results possible from them.how would i best go about using the flashguns to give me decent results using the mix of hard and modified light?

thanks