Most light modifiers, many different brands, incarnations, and types, will work well if you understand the principle on which they work, realize there advantages and limitations and know exactly how to use them.

Of course, you can simply bounce your speedlight off a ceiling or wall and achieve good results if you are familiar with the technique, that is if there is, in fact, a nearby bounce surface and it is not totally light absorbent or colored.

I mention this because Gary Fong started off as a wedding photographer and many of his original designs were intended for use where practical bounce surfaces were not always available, accessible or in a close enough proximity to the on-camera light or the subjects. Wedding photographers find themselves working in large churches and ballrooms with extremely high or. Many reception venues may have brightly painted or decorated, mirrored, or even dark of blag walls and ceilings. The modifier has to be self-contained to simulate any kind of indirect lighting or diffused lighting. At some weddings, the ceremony, reception or the place selected for formal portraits and groups may be out of doors- perhaps the entire event. The reception may take place out of doors at night. Again, any modifiers have to be self contain and self-reliant.

When the Fong modifiers began to appear on the market, most portable on-camera flesh units were quite different for today's speedlights. Many of the units in common use had larger (usually about 4 inches) interchangeable parabolic reflectors. Many models and diffusers were designed to work with those systems. Theses older configurations enabled bare bulb operation whereby the greater volume of light is emitted from the sides of the flash tube. In a mini- softbox kind of modifier, the light for the flash tube could strike all 4 inside surfaces of the modifier and be further diffused by the scrim or panel at the front of the device. speedlight will enable some diffusion but the will not produce the same effect. All these scoops, light benders, bounce cards have similar effects- the will spread the light to accommodate a wider field of view and soften generally soften the allover effect.

The level of softness is dependent on the size of the light source relative to the size o the subject AND the distance for the light source to the subject. The larger and close the light sour the softer the effect. As the relative size diminishes and the distance increases the softening effect is lessened. Working close to the subject with a modifier that doubles the size of the speedlight source will show a significant degree of softness when compared to the effect of a direct speedlight. From say, 10 or 15 feet away, with the same setup, the softening effect may be negligible and all you are doing is reducing the effective light output.

Some modifiers are designed to send some of the light upward toward the ceiling and some light forward to illuminate the eyes. This helps negate the "raccoon eyes" effect from reflected light from striking the subject from directly overhead. The can be also avoided by using partial bounce where some of the light strikes the ceiling and the edge of the beam strikes the subject.

The principles involved with all of these devices in techniques are mainly based on the ANGLE OF INCIDENCE and INVERSE SQUARE LAW theories. The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. It's simple enough- if the light from your speed light strikes the ceiling at 45 degrees it will be reflected back at the same the same angle. It gets complicated or ineffective if somehow the subject is not at the right place or angle to receive the bounce light or in effect if the light is going nowhere where you need ti. This can result in aesthetically unpleasing lighting and even underexposure.

The inverse square law has to do wit fall off of light. If we expose for the light fro the flash striking the subject at a certain distance, areas behind the subject are usually going to be underexposed resulting in an unnaturally dark or black background. When we bounce light from the ceiling or high on a wall we are in, effectively increasing the depth of lighting because the reflected light is coming from a greater height and is a larger source than the direct speedlight.

Much of this is pretty basic but sometimes folk doesn't realize how all of this pertains to selecting a modifier. If you just randomly chose a modifier, just clip it on your speedlight, you may be disappointed. If you carefully consider how and at what angle the raw beam from the speedlight or flash tube strikes the modifier surface(s) or any external surface, and determine where is gonna land you be able to determine the best distances and surroundings it will best function.

Exposure: There is always going to be
some light loss with indirect or bounce lighting. If you calculate your exposure by guide number- manually you will have to recalculate and compensate accordingly, If you are using auto-flash (not TTL) you will have to make certain the sensor in the speedlight is not obstructed or facing in the wrong direction. If you are bouncing from a wall or ceiling you can swivel or tilt the flash head but the body of the flash unit has to face forward in the same direction as the lens. If you are using a TTL exposure system, the exposure should remain correct as long as there is sufficient indirect light for correct exposure and all Most light modifiers, many different brands, incarnations, and types, will work well if you understand the principle on which they work, realize there advantages and limitations and know exactly how to use them.

Of course, you can simply bounce your speedlight off a ceiling or wall and achieve good results if you are familiar with the technique, that is if there is, in fact, a nearby bounce surface and it is not totally light absorbent or colored.

I mention this because Gary Fong started off as a wedding photographer and many of his designs were intended for use where practical bounce surfaces were no available, accessible or in a close enough proximity to the on-camera light or the subjects. Wedding photographers find themselves working in large churches and ballrooms with extremely high or. Many reception venues may have brightly painted or decorated, mirrored, or even dark of blag walls and ceilings. The modifier has to be self-contained to simulate any kind of indirect lighting or diffused lighting. At some weddings, the ceremony, reception or the place selected for formal portraits and groups may be out of doors- perhaps the entire event. The reception may take place out of doors at night. Again, any modifiers have to be self contain and self-reliant.

When the Fong modifiers began to appear on the market, most portable on-camera flesh units were quite different for today's speedlights. Many of the units in common use had larger (usually about 4 inches) interchangeable parabolic reflectors. Many models and diffusers were designed to work with those systems. Theses older configurations enabled bare bulb operation whereby the greater volume of light is emitted from the sides of the flash tube. In a mini- softbox kind of modifier, the light for the flash tube could strike all 4 inside surfaces of the modifier and be further diffused by the scrim or panel at the front of the device. speedlight will enable some diffusion but the will not produce the same effect. All these scoops, light benders, bounce cards have similar effects- the will spread the light to accommodate a wider field of view and soften generally soften the allover effect.

The level of softness is dependent on the size of the light source relative to the size o the subject AND the distance for the light source to the subject. The larger and close the light sour the softer the effect. As the relative size diminishes and the distance increases the softening effect is lessened. Working close to the subject with a modifier that doubles the size of the speedlight source will show a significant degree of softness when compared to the effect of a direct speedlight. From say, 10 or 15 feet away, with the same setup, the softening effect may be negligible and all you are doing is reducing the effective light output.

Some modifiers are designed to send some of the light upward toward the ceiling and some light forward to illuminate the eyes. This helps negate the "raccoon eyes" effect from reflected light from striking the subject from directly overhead. The can be also avoided by using partial bounce where some of the light strikes the ceiling and the edge of the beam strikes the subject.

The principles involved with all of these devices in techniques are mainly based on the ANGLE OF INCIDENCE and INVERSE SQUARE LAW theories. The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. It's simple enough- if the light from your speed light strikes the ceiling at 45 degrees it will be reflected back at the same the same angle. It gets complicated or ineffective if somehow the subject is not at the right place or angle to receive the bounce light or in effect if the light is going nowhere where you need ti. This can result in aesthetically unpleasing lighting and even underexposure.

The inverse square law has to do wit fall off of light. If we expose for the light fro the flash striking the subject at a certain distance, areas behind the subject are usually going to be underexposed resulting in an unnaturally dark or black background. When we bounce light from the ceiling or high on a wall we are in, effectively increasing the depth of lighting because the reflected light is coming from a greater height and is a larger source than the direct speedlight.

Much of this is pretty basic but sometimes folk doesn't realize how all of this pertains to selecting a modifier. If you just randomly chose a modifier, just clip it on your speedlight, you may be disappointed. If you carefully consider how and at what angle the raw beam from the speedlight or flash tube strikes the modifier surface(s) or any external surface, and determine where is gonna land you be able to determine the best distances and surroundings it will best function.

Exposure: There is always going to be
some light loss with indirect or bounce lighting. If you calculate your exposure by guide number- manually you will have to recalculate and compensate accordingly, If you are using autoflash (not TTL) you will have to make certain the sensor in the speedlight is not obstructed or facing in the wrong direction. If you are bouncing from a wall or ceiling you can swivel or tilt the flash head but the body of the flash unit has to face forward in the same direction as the lens. If you are using a TTL exposure system, the exposure should remain correct as long as there is sufficient indirect light for correct exposure and all settings are correct.

So...do worry about brand names, advertising hype or scuttlebutt. Do a little bit of the theory and geometry and that will help you make the choice or even MAKE your own modifiers.

So...do worry about brand names, advertising hype or scuttlebutt. Do a little bit of the theory and geometry and that will help you make the choice or even MAKE your own modifiers.