topcat Loc: Alameda, CA

Try these diffusers...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3Color-Pop-up-Flash-Bounce-Diffuser-Kit-for-Canon-Nikon-Pentax-Leica-DSLR-Camera-/391687824842?hash=item5b3269e5ca:g:5-wAAOxy4c5RxDo6

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Totally inappropriate for taking a group photo.

Diffusing a small light source is only going to result in a small light that is slightly diffused. To address shadows and harsh light, there is no way to get around increasing the size of the light source - so these cheap workaroudns are just a complete waste of time and money.

Better to spend time looking at the following websites for examples on how to light things correctly and to learn about reflectors, flags, barn doors, and other lighting accessories to fully control your light.

http://strobist.blogspot.com/
http://duenkel.typepad.com/

And to see a comparison of cards, tupperware, flashbenders and other less effective (waste of time and money) accessories, watch this video:

http://neilvn.com/tangents/review-best-light-modifiers-for-on-camera-flash/

As you can see, if you are indoors nothing compares to turning the flash around and bouncing off the room's surfaces for truly soft shadows and an appealing rendering of facial features. Big light = soft light. If you are in close to your subject, you can use large bounce cards, which will be better than bare flash, but . . .

This video talks about using a larger, collapsible bounce device outdoors

https://vimeo.com/30929539

The problem that is not addressed with his approach is while you may be filling in the shadows by using a bounce surface, what you are not doing is dealing with squinting and the harsh sunlight falling on the face. When looking at videos and other materials on line, look at the entire solution, and decide for yourself if the solution addresses everything it needs to - in the case of this video, it really doesn't improve the image, all it does is fill in the shadows. Something to think about . . .

MiroFoto

Gene51 - Thank you for the warning, and other hints.

Miro

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I may have mentioned this elsewhere, but some years ago, we were searching for a better on-camera flash diffuser of some sort. We tried nearly a dozen commercial solutions — Lightsphere, Big Bounce, Sto-Fen, and too many others to remember, but the BEST solution was the cheapest — a sheet of letter-sized, white, 110-lb index card stock, fashioned into a "scoop" and mounted on an on-camera strobe mounted 18" above camera on a bracket, and tilted up at a 75° angle. It provided pleasing, near-butterfly lighting at seven feet for on-location portraits of school graduates holding mortarboards and diplomas, against a repeating school logo cloth background. We were making one portrait every ten seconds or less, with 2-3 poses each... And we had to do it with minimal equipment, minimal disruption of the ceremony going on on the stage a few yards away. I would have preferred a 45" umbrella, 8' high, directly over the camera... with a reflector board below to fill the shadows.