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Studio Lighting - DIY Homemade Soft Flash Diffuser
In the following article Brian Zimmerman will demostrare how to make a small, home made flash diffuser. you might also want to check out the diy mini flash bouncer guide or the diy flash softbox guide as alternate solutions.
Soft Flash Diffuser Instructions
Use a small piece of ripstop nylon over your flash unit to diffuse and soften the light.
I cut a 3-inch square piece of RipStop nylon, and attached pieces of self-stick velcro to it and to the flash. The fabric can be quickly added to the flash to diffuse and soften the light a little bit and is easily removed. I used a candle to carefully melt the edges of the cut fabric to keep the threads from unraveling.
By the way, this Digi-Slave flash unit had a voltage of 218 volts at the hotshoe contacts, so no way was I going to use it directly on my Canon Pro 90 without modification. (Canon says a flash should have 6V or less)
Mini-diffuser added to flash. My next project will be a larger version, like a miniature soft box to fit the flash.
Sample shot using RipStop nylon mini-diffuser over flash. Compare color to next image.
This revealing shot used a Sport nylon over the flash unit - this is the type of nylon used to make flags - the difference from RipStop nylon is described under the Hotlight Design folder. Note the distinct reddish cast in this image caused by the sport nylon. I consistently saw the same differences when changing between the two, so it was not just a random error in camera white balance (set to Auto white balance). I had been having problems with reddish casts and thought it was caused either by the Quartz-Halogen lights which have a more orange color temperature than sunlight (but not so much as regular incandescent lights) or a white balance problem (despite using a custom white balance), but it appears that most of the problem was caused by the Sport Nylon that I had been using instead of RipStop nylon. I'll stick with the Ripstop from now on. If you are going to buy Nylon fabric for a diffusion screen, I would suggest taking your digital camera inside the fabric store, and hold a corner of it over your flash while you take a picture, then do the same with another white nylon, and compare image color balance in the image to the same view taken without covering the flash, then choose the closest match or most natural looking color.
Another great idea - Use a plastic rubbing alcohol bottle, cut the top off, and secure to flash head with strips of velcro.
© 2002 Brian L. Zimmerman, BLZphotos.com
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Comments
Amazing job buddy.....!
I sincerely convey my congrats to you.
Its an amazing work of practical designing for a home studio.
I myself is a photographer and apprecaite your works very much.
Keep up your good work and keep in touch.
Is there some size ratio
Is there some size ratio issues here? how large is that cat?! :D
Alcohol bottle
That is a great idea using the alcohol bottles. I have been using Lumiquest and even thinking about trying the Gary Fong bouncers. Your ideas use the same concept and is way more affordable. Very practical. Thanks for the tips.
throwing away light
actually, placing a diffusion material like ripstop directly over the face of the flash does nothing to improve the quality of a photo and just reduces the light output. if you look at the shadows in your sample image, you will see that they have hard edges, just like a direct flash photo.
if you want an effect like a stofen omnibounce or a gary fong lightsphere, you need to achieve at least one of two things: diffuse the light through a material that is LARGER than the small rectangle at the face of the flash, or bounce the light off a surface that is LARGER than the flash. in both cases the apparent light source becomes this larger surface, resulting in softer shadows.
a stofen omnibounce, or equivalent, is not much bigger than a flash at all. what it does well is redirect the light in all directions (you are supposed to aim it upwards at about 45 degrees). the light will bounce off of the ceiling and walls. for this to work, there should be a relatively low white ceiling and white walls. if these surfaces aren't white, they will effect the color of the flash. you will occasionally see someone using an omnibounce outside. this has almost no effect on the flash, other than throwing light away. there might be a very slight effect on the shadows due to the very small increase in light size of the omni.
the example involving the alchohol bottle is great because it is a big diffuser (similar to a lightsphere). it emits light forward from it's broad face while at the same time bouncing some of the light outward to bounce off walls and ceilings.
ripstop might be a good diffusion material, but to really put it to good use, you would need to mount a larger piece of it further from the camera, like a small softbox.
I must say, the photos with
I must say, the photos with the "diffusion" material aren't very impressive. The photo has harsh flash highlights, shadows and is way underexposed. Not to mention the white balance is off drastically.
I agree
I will post some better home diffusion article soon. stay tuned :)
Flash Diffuser/ Reflector Comparisson
Of all these, you can obtain great results...provided you know how to use them. Regardless of how good you can get them, you can always get them better. The proof is in the pictures:
We tested 3 popular diffusers/ reflectors, then added our own invention to it. It's a warmer. See the difference for yourself.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kixpix
This is a great comparisson, thanks
looks like the "a better bounce card" is the winner
not to be rude but both of
not to be rude but both of those arent that good lighting wise
Flash Diffuser-bottle
I have tried the bottle idea with good results. I used a VO5 conditioner bottle. Shaped like the alcohol bottle in a way and fits my flash nicely.
Has anyone tried...
I had the idea of trying white tissue paper attached (initially via an elastic band - but not tight, loose to allow the light to flow round!!!) to the front of my SB-600 flash - trying to make some sort of tent to diffuse the light. I haven't tried it yet but wondered if anyone had created something similar. I have checked out the white bottle option but the results seem to diffuse it too much. Any ideas or results are welcomed.
Thanks :)
Tried it.
It worked in a pinch. I used a SB600 with a kleenx puffed out and a rubber band to hold it. I had the SB600 on a light stand using a Nikon D200 in commander mode. I did bounce off the ceiling too. Every one including myself enjoyed the photos.
I was thinking that a coffee
I was thinking that a coffee filter might work with a rubberband. It won't look too pretty, though.
Perfect fit
I've been looking around for a diffuser & $16.99 + shipping is the cheapest I could find (like the one in the picture above).
The alcohol bottle worked perfectly. $0.75 @ the Family Dollar store they have a slightly thinner bottle and it was a perfect fit for my Sunpak 383, no Velcro required. :) Thank you!
Three cheers for the alcohol bottle!!!!
I saw this tip and had a alcohol bottle diffuser over my sunpak flash within three minutes, including time to deliberate about whether or not I should dump out half a bottle of alcohol.
Now to get the label off.
Re: getting the label off....
You can get the label off with alcohol.
Oops, too late.... ;)
Have a look at this!
That plastic bottle thingy is cool, but if you want to compare DIY with Gary Fong, have a look at this one: http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Gary-Fong-Lightsphere/
Alcohol Bottle
I made one 2 years ago with a bottle of alcohol and it works perfect. Use it today. Granted these samples are not a good example but I swear by it.
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