Flash Brackets

[McB!]

Allow me to pick your brains, if you'd be so kind...

I am shooting a wedding this coming April (my first), and from my research it seems like a flash bracket would be a handy piece of equipment to have.

Now, I've never shot a wedding and I've never used a bracket, so I don't really know if it's as indispensable as some people make it out to be. What do you think? What are the viable alternatives?

Let's say that it is a must-have accessory. Is there a particular type / brand of bracket you would recommend? This is where it all becomes a bit overwhelming for me - it's my understanding that the main purpose of the bracket is to keep the flash positioned high over the lens (for my purposes, one that would allow me to use the camera in both landscape and portrait orientation), but there just seems to be so many different kinds, all at varying prices. What would be the justification in buying one that costs hundreds of dollars over one that costs fifty dollars if the end result is more or less the same?

I have very limited knowledge on this topic, and I'm eager to hear your thoughts.

[scootermcq]

Nope not manditory... Infact, many many successful wedding photographers do not use one. Neil comes to mind....

http://neilvn.com/

Having said that, it is probably one of my used light modifiers at weddings. Yes, it lifts the flash & keeps it on axis. This drives the shadows down and behind the subject and helps remove any red eye. With the right light modifier, it can produce some amazing light. If you use it in conjunction with off camera flash, it becomes your fill and works very well, but you can go from off camera to single on camera without blinking.

Biggest thing before I used it, I was always looking for something to bounce off of, which may not be there in a wedding. This follows the kiss principle and (with the proper modifier) gives you simple, consistent and acceptable light. At the end of the day, the bride & groom want nice, well lit, well composed images and not have the photographer miss an image while trying to figure out if they should bounce off of someone's shirt or the bald guys head.

As far as price goes, I tends to be a bit of what you get what you pay for and build quality & life span will be affected by the dollars invested in your bracket

[zona5101]

i am with Scott on this one. I like to have a bracket handy - i think mine is a stroboframe that's probably 25+ years old Some churches the ceiling is too high to bounce...also I have shot weddings outside and it's nice to add a little fill flash. I use a sync cord. I also use a diy lumidyne-type flash diffuser and point up flash head directly up into the diffuser. It cuts it's effective distance but the light is softer and spreads wider. I also run a separate quantum battery to power the flash so I don't have to worry about recycle time.

I haven't been to a whole lot of weddings in the past few years and it seems i don't see a lot of brackets in use - so perhaps its a bit old school but it works...

[sk66]

A basic flip frame is all you need...If you also want to use it as a grip etc then definitely spend more for better build quality. Stroboframe is an industry standard...

Personally, I don't use one. I do use a sync cord and hand hold the flash off camera occasionally...(but I don't do weddings either)

[Thunder_o_b]

This is the one that I use for macro with a 580EX II flash. It is very versatile, but is a little overwhelmed by the heavy 580, but I still like it.
Delta Flip Flash I Bracket - 7 Flash Arm

[LoveDSLR]

Brackets were popular then when red eye reduction wasn't available. With my Metz Hammerhead dual flash, I can fit bound card, soft box or Sto-fen on the main flash and fill-in with the aux. head.

I agreed that Flip frame is good option in the choice of brackets.

Originally Posted by zona5101

I also run a separate quantum battery to power the flash so I don't have to worry about recycle time.

I have the Quantum 2 battery pack.

[McB!]

Thanks so much for the advice, folks!

I'm still on the fence about whether to buy one or not. I might see how I manage the first time without one and then re-evaluate.