E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Underuse- Overuse- Misuse? Well- I think that one has to have a point of reference? Well- when you boil it down to basics, it is really a matter of applying the right technique to the job at hand rather than randomly or arbitrally employing any lighting or other technique. The application of the appropriate technique should base on the photographers ability to pre-visualize the effect or affect, in this case, and discussion, of the lighting in the final image.

Of course, the feasibility of the usage of indirect light depends on having flash equipment of adequate power to accommodate the loss of illumination that is intrinsic in the technique. My handheld held flash gear that I use for wedding, even and new coverages boast outputs up to 400 watt-seconds or at least 2800 ECPS! There are, however, occasions when I prefer reduced power to purposely reduce the depth of field to employ selective focus methods. Studio units with outputs of 4899 watt-seconds are oftentimes in service to enable indirect lighting at levels high enough to accommodate the need for smaller apertures, view camera movements and very deep depth of field.

In many applications, there are no such problems as "wasted light" in that extraneous light increases the volume of "unseen secondary light" in a room that enables the need for less fill in light in order to maintain workable lighting ratios where only one light is in use, Thes unseen light is very useful in high key portraiture, fashion, and product photography.

Bounce lighting is a kind of generic and non-specific term for indirect lighting which is an art and science in itself. My tutorial is based on a simple and oftentimes impromptu method for fast handheld shooting as employed by press and wedding photographers in a wide variety of shooting conditions and situations.

Most improvised and manufactured modifiers, such as softboxes, umbrellas, and many popular gadgets and devices that we hang on our on-camera strobes are based on indirect lighting methodologies, however, there is no such thing as a cure-all or "one size fits all" method or device that will cover every application.

Obviously, straight on flash has its usages but it certainly does not address all of the required aesthetics that are required in many areas of photography such as fine portraiture, commercial product and architectural photography, fashion work, industrial applications where vast areas have to be lighted and a raft of other specialized fields.

In many cases, direct flash simply provides enough ILLUMINATION, that is, sufficient light to enable adequate exposure but does not address the issues of dimensionality, depth, mood, artistry or any special effects.

Simple bounce lighting is merely an improvisational method of simulating multiple lighting setups that are found in a studio and finite location work and totally natural, existing or available light when it is expertly recognized and controlled.

Bounce lighting is indeed improperly applied when it is employed without know-how and expertise. Like many other terms in photography, it has become a buzzword among the uninitiated, rather than a specific methodology that requires insight and technical savvy. That is why I mention, in my article, the antidote about the guy at the baseball game, directing his flash unit at the sky. Some folks just don't realize that a bounce technique that may work well in a small neighborhood church will not necessarily work well in Westminister Abby!

Ed

radiomantom Loc: Plymouth Indiana

Very well written article with a lot of great info. In all cases when I do use flash it is in done with bounce flash. Thanks for posting the article.

Fly_Boy Loc: South East Michigan

Ed, I really appreciate you posting this article. I have only skimmed it, but saved a copy for later detailed reading. I have just started exploring bounce flash and, though I have a lot to learn, am delighted with how natural the results look. I am looking forward to getting a better understanding of what I am doing from your article. Thanks for putting in all the time and hard work to put this together.

blackest Loc: Ireland

I appreciate ed's words too, I hope there will be many more. There is nothing better to improve your photography than articles by a knowledgable practical photographer.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

Thank you.

Rodledge Loc: Alabama

Good article. Appreciate you sharing with us.

PattyW60 Loc: Northwest Illinois

Thank you for the tips, Ed. My frustration with using flash is due, in part, to my own inconsistency in getting a good result. Often, the flash is way too harsh, and/or I get those dark shadows behind my subject. I dialed down the output, but still had inconsistent results. This was all with my camera's own flash. I now have a used Canon 530ex to learn how to use, and I'm hoping to eventually get much better results as I learn more about proper technique in flash photography. So, right now, I'm kind of like a sponge trying to soak up all the information I can on using flash. Thank you, again, for taking the time to share your knowledge!

Patty

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

@ Patty and others who are following this thread:

It is pleasantly surprising to me, as an old photographer who still does most of my work in manual modes, how amazingly accurate many of the automatic features on today's DSLRs are- the can work well! Through the lens metering and exposure control is certainly a handy tool for both amateur and professional photographers, especially when fast paced impromptu shooting is required. There are times when I am happy just being an “appliance operator” rather than a finite technician having to figure out and mentally calculate so many exposure issues. There, are times, well most of the time, that I need more precise control over the aesthetics of my lighting and that oftentimes demands the use of manual modes or what I call “modified automatic modes”.

My advice to many photographers who are learning or looking to improving their flash techniques to delve into some of the “old school” manual methodologies such as; flash power outputs (watt-seconds and ECPS ratings), guide numbers, flash to subject distances, the inverse square law, the angle of incidence theory, basic portrait lighting, lighting ratio, reflector and bare-bulb usage, hand-held exposure meter techniques, flash fill in out of doors and available light scenarios, and off the camera, bounce and multiple flash lightings.

If we become overly dependent on automatic operation, we loose finite control over the aesthetics of out imagery and there becomes a sameness in all our flash work, especially if the flash unit is just about “bolted” down to the hot shoe atop the camera.

Understanding exactly how basic flash photography works gives us more appreciation and insight into what out automatic features are doing for us- some of it is truly amazing! We also learn to “fool” our automatic systems by manipulating them, thereby giving us the tools to enable more customized effects, moods, and variations. We also learn to avoid some of the intrinsic problematic aspects of flash usage, the gremlins such as subject failure and flat lighting and “black hole backgrounds”. Subject failure occurs when the readings from the internal metering system are gathered in the wrong zone within the frame and serious, usually overexposure, issues result. Flat lighting lacks dimensionality and is a product of unmodified and non-directional on the camera flash usage. Underexposed (black hole) backgrounds and overexposed foregrounds, again, is the result of flat- on-the-camera flash and poor placement of the flash head on the camera which also causes distracting shadows on backgrounds and walls.

Even in auto modes, we can create better lighting and more control by purposely “fooling the system” and telling it what we want it to know! We can change the ISO settings, change the shutter speed to admit more ambient light and there are many modifications that we can introduce to create many variations. In a two light hand-held system, I have been know to place my hand over the on-camera light and just let a “sliver” of light seep out through my fingers to alter the lighting ratio without having to move further away from the subject and sacrifice my composition or take the time to remove the fill light from the camera.

I hope this helps.

PattyW60 Loc: Northwest Illinois

Thank you, Ed. Yes, it ALL helpful information!! Now it's on me to practice, practice, practice!!! ;)

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

Awesome thread, Ed. :thumbup:

I only wish I could explain things as well as you. I try to do verbal tutorials, but by the time I'm done, the article confuses even me.

As for underestimating people, I fully agree. I think the world is too worried about "dumbing things down" for the masses, when the masses are perfectly capable of understanding. Our politicians (no matter which "flavor" your politics are) tend to do this all the time.

So, thanks, and even though I'm familiar with the techniques mentioned, I always learn something if I read through your posts.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

BK! long before I knew the difference between a camera and a bread box and even before I went to school, my grandmother taught me about learning. She used to say (translated) "One can even learn from a fool"! I questioned that. She explained; you can learn what to do from a smart person and you can learn what NOT to do from a fool!

This philosophy, in my experience, certainly applies to photography. I have seen photographers do and profess things that make me cringe and I have attended seminars and classes that were, unfortunately enough, a total and unmitigated waste of time and money. I, however, never regret or complain about theses experiences because I learned "what not to do or teach and how NOT to present a class or a seminar. Turns out that some of the worst fools were by best teachers!

I really feel that there is learning and teaching opportunities to be found in all our experiences- sometimes they are right there for us to glean and other times we have to dig down a little deeper to find them. I think that when learning stops, part of life stops as well.

Ed

bkyser Loc: Fly over country in Indiana

A very wise woman, who raised a very wise son.

So glad that we have someone who doesn't trip over their own words when trying to put them in print. (which is what happens to me)

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

OH! BK!

I forgot to tell you! You should write more tutorials because you are an experienced wedding shooter and people will benefit from your knowledge.

Here's my trick: I just write whatever comes out of my head or mouth as if I were training a new assistant, a student or a new shooter. I do a very brief edit to clean up typos, spelling errors, and redundant thoughts and just let it rock and roll from there!

I had no formal training in technical writing, I come from Brooklyn, where we spoke a "foreign" language, I never won a spelling bee! My marks in "English" class were abominable. The only "professional" writing experience I had was when I worked news for a few years and had to write the odd caption when I was sent out to an insignificant assignment and they did not bother to send a reporter- ya know- someone presenting a check at a charity event kinda thing.

Just put it out there and folks will learn!

pfrancke Loc: cold Maine

E.L.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I saw your chart in another reply and it taught me that the center is substantially "hotter" than the fringes.

I am appreciative of your sharing and knowledge!

WAKD Loc: Cincinnati

Ed,
Thank you for your efforts.

"Many of them, however, are plagued with elitism, snobbishness, and condescending attitudes- even outright nastiness and arrogance!"

Your articles are long, sure, but think how long they would be if the first few hundred words were about you and how smart you are and how much experience you have and and and. :wink: :wink:

Don't worry, Ed, there are plenty of us here that can read and want to learn. We already get plenty of pictures of cats and Grandchildren.

It's not much use reading a book if you cold have written it yourself.