Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

For weddings and event photography, I always used a decent Stronoframe model. But ever since I began using the Demb Flip-It flash diffuser, a bracket is no longer needed. Softer light and no more red-eye.

JFleming Loc: Belchertown, Ma

You may want to check out the ones made by Wimberley - they're modular.

http://www.tripodhead.com/products/flash-bracket-main.cfm

I use one with my Nikon SB-800 and 500MM f/4 and love it plus it's easy to travel with...

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

I use the Big Flip-It. I haven't needed a flash bracket in years. However, the Demb flash bracket is quite light, yet sturdy. I ditched my Stroboframe bracket long ago.

http://www.dembflashproducts.com/products/flip-it-flash-reflectors/

http://www.amazon.com/Demb-Flash-Bracket-Fast-action-Position/product-reviews/B0089NBR52

Bud S Loc: Logan Ohio

Exactly what I always do, when rotating the camera to a vertical the flash can be rotated to always be above the lens. I'm always sorry if I don't use it.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Necessary evil... I hate them, but use them. I own a Stroboframe. It flips the flash so the tube stays parallel with the sensor or the film of a dSLR or SLR. It's a bit awkward at times, but it's simple, relatively cheap, and it works.

If you get any flash bracket, be sure the camera rotates with the flash, so if you have a rectangular flashtube in your flash unit, it is always parallel with, never perpendicular to, the sensor.

Some brackets just rotate the camera 90°, while keeping the flash in the same position (upright in your left hand). Unless your flash head is a round, polished bowl reflector that puts out a circular beam of light, you will get a bright center and a dark top and bottom of frame when using rectangular flashtubes with the camera rotated. This is especially true with popular shoe mount "zooming" flash units from Canon, Nikon, Vivitar, and Sunpak. The Quantum Q-Flash is an exception.

It took me five years and many studio tests to get this concept across to our technical service guy at my former employer (large school portrait lab). He bought dozens of VERY expensive brackets that rotated the camera... for use with Canon dSLRs and 580 EX II shoe mount flash units. The lab kept getting hundreds of images of sports team members whose feet and heads were dark!

The other thing you want is a bracket that keeps the flashtube ABOVE the lens, not beside it! This helps reduce shadows behind subjects, whether you're bouncing the light off the ceiling, or using it direct. If the flash is BESIDE the camera, you get an ugly shadow on the opposite side of the subject.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

I have always preferred flash brackets, but I cannot find a synch cord socket on my Nikon D5300. Any help on this question, please.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Get the Nikon AS15 hot shoe adapter. It puts a sync terminal into your hot shoe. OR, to protect your camera, use a Wein Safe Sync adapter. It has a voltage regulator in it for studio flash sync circuits.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

Bill, Thank you for your help.

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

We use "TTL Off-camera hotshoe cords" for hand-held speedlight macro-photography.

TTL Off-Camera HotShoe Cord



(Download)

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

We used Canon's similar cords at Herff Jones for group and event photos. They were expensive, but they worked well.

When in the studio, we used the Wein Safe-Sync with pro power packs and flashes from Norman, Photogenic, White Lightning, Alien Bees, and Novatron.