Reader's Comments - Index of - Free

Light
-- Michael Chick, January 13, 2000
Regarding using flash with P&S cameras, here's a little trick I do. I take a light-activated slave trigger,
one with 180 degree coverage, and attach it the the shoe of an inexpensive tilt-head flash. Then, when I
take a flash picture, I hold the flash and trigger at about arms length overhead and slightly forward of the
camera and tilt the head to either fire down onto the subject or fire up at the ceiling. In an advanced
P&S, the light sensor doubles as the flash sensor and adjusts exposure. Thus automatically compensating
for the additional light.
I and a friend of mine have used this trick with our Elph Jr's. Works out very nicely. However, if you're
in an area where a lot of other people are using flashes, don't turn the bounce flash on until needed. Also,
a trigger with a narrower field of view would also help here.
BTW, I also use and love Lumiquest's Pocket Bouncer. While it is a little ungainly, it completely avoids
problems with color casts from bouncing off a non-white ceiling and can give the same room filling
effect as the Sto-Fen OmniBounce. With the Sto-Fen, color casts from the ceiling can still be a problem.
Conrad Weiser
-- Conrad Weiser, April 27, 2000
Much as I like David Hartman's idea of pointing the flash up with an index card to send some fill light
forward, I don't have to do it - being the proud owner of a Nikon SB16 which has a small secondary
light that fires directly forward whether I want it to or not.
Great. That means I can use my whole packet of index cards, plus some Blu-tack and a handy pocket
stepladder, to ensure a reliable supply of white ceilings!
-- Alan Little, May 16, 2000
I myself hate using the flash unless I really need it. I think studio photographs are too artificial unless
there is a creative aspect to them.
I want to capture images as they appear in real life. People have shadows under their eyes in real life. I
don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.
But thanks for the tips on diffusers... I'm going to try it.
-- N. David Guarneri, July 12, 2000
A Flash Accessory No Photographer Should Ever Be Without!
http://www.photo.net/making-photographs/light (17 of 22)7/3/2005 2:22:38 AM