amfoto1 wrote:
That's an interesting treatise on bounce flash... Lots of good info there.
But personally I think bounce if vastly overused... even misused... and more often than not just a big waste of good light. Direct flash is often more controllable and, used right, more effective, faster recycling, etc., etc.
Yes, there are times and places bounce can be useful. But there are also many times it should be avoided. It's a good idea to know how to and be set up for, ready to use either bounce or direct flash as the situation dictates.
That's an interesting treatise on bounce flash... ... (
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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