Reader's Comments - Index of - Free

Light
sticking a small diffuser over the light, even one of those tiny softboxes, doesn't really do much to soften
the light. Your shadows will usually be very sharp. What it MAY do is waste enough light bouncing
around the room that some of those hard-edged shadows are filled, slightly, and that will usually be a bit
more pleasing. My favorite wedding strobe remains the bulky Norman 200C, with its big old 5"
reflector. It's certainly not as efficient as the smaller polished reflectors on most manufacturer strobes,
but in spreading so much light around the room, it gives a lot more pleasing on-camera (or on-bracket)
look, thanks to the spill coming back off the walls and ceiling of the room.
-- David Spellman, June 25, 1997
Nikon now sells a wireless TTL slave unit (similar to the Ike-Lite product). It's called the SU-4 and sells
for about $70US.
-- Mike West, February 5, 1999
"Photography is the recording of light rays"...hmmm..what about artistic merit huh?? Things like
composition, finding the moment, perspective, what about all that?....how about changing the definition
to be: the capturing of images for an artistic or informative purpose...(screw the "light rays" part it
sounds too pseudo technical)...? :-) my 2 cents worth....akhilesh bajaj
-- Akh Baj, June 7, 1999
Regarding flash photography...I generally hate it and try to avoid it whenever possible. However, my
amateur photojournalistic tendencies sometimes preclude me from using a slow shutter speed to capture
ambient light. So, to reduce harsh shadows, I take one of two approaches.
The Diffuser: I have a LumiQuest Pocket Bouncer which appreciate immeasurably. It is the most
compact way to achieve a pleasant softness of light. If you've never seen one of these, it is a trapezoidal
hood that attaches to the flash with Velcro. The flash head is pointed straight up and light is bounced off
the hood. It is, in effect, a portable of the perfect color and reflective property. I find it immensely useful
outdoors and in rooms with very high ceilings. The only drawback is light loss, which limits the distance
you can stand from your subject.
The Bracket: I've used two, a Sunpack and a Stroboframe. I think that the Stroboframe is probably a bit
better, as it gives two positions, directly above the prism housing, a approximately ten inches from the
lens, or to the side of the camera, upside down. Limitations include the the rather large nature of the
accessory, which makes it a bit difficult to toss into a Domke F2. The Sunpack is a handle grip with a
hot shoe on top. It is marginally more comfortable to hold that the Stroboframe in addition to being
smaller and lighter. (Weight is an important consideration; a Nikon FE2 with motor drive, 180/2.8, flash
bracket and Vivitar 283 is not only heavy but awkwardly shaped.) Both of the brackets run about $70.
They are certainly nice, but the diffuser is what stays in the camera bag.
-- Timothy Breihan, June 12, 1999
http://www.photo.net/making-photographs/light (14 of 22)7/3/2005 2:22:38 AM