Help with softening the flash

[Tamster]

Morning, I am fairly new to photography but i will be having a fun photo session with a friends baby tmrw to help me learn more, but as i was playing around last night I realized in some instances the flash was really harsh. I plan to use mostly natural light but thought maybe today I could pick something up that might help reduce the bright flash effects. Can anyone suggest anything that will help? Using reg on camera flash and a speedlight if need be. Thanks for any info you can offer. Just thought i'd throw it out there.

[Jim Poor]

1. Get it off camera
2. Bounce it off a wall or ceiling.
3. Get a lightstand, umbrella and remote trigger.

Originally Posted by Tamster

Morning, I am fairly new to photography but i will be having a fun photo session with a friends baby tmrw to help me learn more, but as i was playing around last night I realized in some instances the flash was really harsh. I plan to use mostly natural light but thought maybe today I could pick something up that might help reduce the bright flash effects. Can anyone suggest anything that will help? Using reg on camera flash and a speedlight if need be. Thanks for any info you can offer. Just thought i'd throw it out there.

[Tamster]

Thanks for the info!

[samhail]

Originally Posted by Tamster

Morning, I am fairly new to photography but i will be having a fun photo session with a friends baby tmrw to help me learn more, but as i was playing around last night I realized in some instances the flash was really harsh. I plan to use mostly natural light but thought maybe today I could pick something up that might help reduce the bright flash effects. Can anyone suggest anything that will help? Using reg on camera flash and a speedlight if need be. Thanks for any info you can offer. Just thought i'd throw it out there.

Sometimes putting a diffuser on your flash helps. There are many types and there are a lot out there that you can make yourself. Here is one from Stobists that you can make yourself. I have a Gary Fong and it works great. Takes some getting used too and is heavy. In the past I have used plain tissue paper over the flash. That's a quick (and really inexpensive) way to soften your flash. Google diffusers and you will find tons of products and ideas for do it yourself.
Good luck with the shoot.

[zona5101]

I like Jim's #2 - If you can, you should try some bounce flash. It's easy and nothing to buy.

[i speak in math]

Softness of light is a function of relative size of the light source. When you point the flash directly at someone, it is a tiny 1in x 2in light source. That means harsh. If you make it bigger with, say, a small 6in x6in softbox on the flash, you will make the light slightly softer. Not because its diffusing the light more, but because it is bigger. An even bigger source like shooting the flash through a 46in umbrella will give you very nice soft light.

Of course as other have suggested, the cheapest route will be just bouncing the light. Bouncing makes the light reflect off the whole wall, turning that whole area into a giant light source providing very soft diffused light. This is the concept for the small plastic diffusers you stick to the tip of the flash -- they spread the light around everywhere turning all the walls into giant light sources, making the light appear much softer. In short, anything that increases the size of the light source will give you softer light.

[Tito87]

Originally Posted by Tamster

Morning, I am fairly new to photography but i will be having a fun photo session with a friends baby tmrw to help me learn more, but as i was playing around last night I realized in some instances the flash was really harsh. I plan to use mostly natural light but thought maybe today I could pick something up that might help reduce the bright flash effects. Can anyone suggest anything that will help? Using reg on camera flash and a speedlight if need be. Thanks for any info you can offer. Just thought i'd throw it out there.

If you are on a tight budget, you can put a small piece of white fabric or a tissue paper on your flash. That will help you to diffuse it a little.