mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Was wondering... I use fill flash quite a bit outside, but my flash is always pointed directly at my subject. I've seen others pointing their flashes up into the air when outside for fill flash. I thought you'd only do that if there was something to bounce off of. Confused. Can someone set me straight? Thanks.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Maybe the "others" are confused ? The only logical reason I know is maybe they have a powerful flash and are trying to reduce the subject light by feathering it away ??

romanticf16 Loc: Commerce Twp, MI

They may have a small bounce diffuser on the rear of the flash head and only want to add a "catchlight' in the eyes without being too obvious.

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Hmm... good point. However, I don't recall seeing a diffuser on this person's flash unit. Maybe it isn't me that is confused like imagemeister said. Thanks.

Rick36203 Loc: Northeast Alabama

Maybe they are bouncing off the moon. And if they are ... I wonder if they adjust their shutter for the 2.5 second average roundtrip? :lol:

Bret Loc: Dayton Ohio

I believe they are using the bottom portion of the flash cone...or power...feathering.

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

Bottom of the flash cone? What part is this. I have a Speedlite 430EX. What part is the cone?

mdorn Loc: Portland, OR

:thumbup:

Bret Loc: Dayton Ohio

Here's a sample of feathering.
http://neilvn.com/tangents/feathering-the-light/
The Inverse Square Law...try taking some shots with your flash at a white wall...at different distances away from the wall and you'll see.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Thanks Bret ! - I knew what they were doing - just was not sure why ......

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

As other have pointed out, you probably observed a photographer using one of many types of flash modifiers which would entail having the flash unit in a seemingly upward vertical position but in actuality, the light is bouncing off the interior of the modifier and going back at the subject. A similar system could be a bounce card or a small spoon taped to the flash unit which would project a small amount of wink of light forward- enough to fill some of the shadows and create more illumination in the eyes along with catch-lights.
Another technique that can be used indoors and out-of-doors is partial bounce or upward feathering; this also solves the problem of “raccoon eyes” with indoor ceiling bounce or overhead lighting from overcast or hazy skies.

Yet a third possibility is using bare bulb for outdoor fill or off-camera lighting: If the flash unit has removable or interchangeable reflectors; the bare bulb should be oriented vertically because most of the light is emitted from the sides of the flash tube, not the front. Theses techniques give the photographer more control over their lighting ratio when working out-of-doors.

I hope this helps! Ed

Revet Loc: Fairview Park, Ohio

Last summer I was waiting to get into a restaurant in Savannah and I was able to watch a wedding party shoot outside. The photographer not only had his flash pointed upward, it was also facing about 20 degrees backwards. I did not see any modifiers or anything and nothing but blue sky to bounce it off of. I was hoping they would take a break so I could ask what he was doing but we were seated before I could ask. The only thing I could think of was he was keeping the flash in a ready storage position but the flash went off each time he took a shot. Anybody have any ideas on this???

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

He forgot to turn it off?

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I don't know why they'd do that unless they are bouncing off of the moon! Lol..

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Feathering a softbox is a LOT different than having a flash pointed straight up and not bouncing off of anything.