DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I don't know about a Canon flash but my Nikon flash has a small white card built in. It's the same size as the flash but when using the flash as bounce will send some light forward to provide catchlights in the eyes but not enough to produce much in the way of shadows.

As noted by several people, the edges of shadows produced by the lighting depends on the size of the lighting. The speedlight by itself is small, so the shadows will have sharp well defined edges, which can be distracting. Bouncing off the ceiling means that the source of light for the photo will be the whole ceiling, which in most cases will be very large, so the shadows will have very diffuse edges, and also the shadows will be below the subject, probably out of the photo. Bouncing from the wall behind you will produce a shadow behind the subject, but since the source will be large, the shadow will have very diffuse edges.

When I use the 8.5x11 card stock, it was not particularly unwieldy. But it was not large enough to make the shadows really diffuse. They were better than direct light from the speedlight but not perfect. The card stock was susceptible to damage while moving around and bumping into things but it was cheap and I could carry some spares.

Eventually I got a Spinlight 360. It attaches to your speedlight and has various thin plastic panels you can add to it and it rotates so you can send some light forward or to the side or rear. The plastic panels are much more durable than the card stock and the thing looks much more professional if that's important to you.

KarenKaptures Loc: New Jersey

I am never without my Lite-Scoop that fits on my Speedlight. Check it out on YouTube.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

There are many good videos on You Tube about using speedlights. They may be helpful.

Also, not sure of the flash power (output of the 430 you mentioned. The Godox line of flashes are really good and the 685 line is similar to the Canon 600 series for a much lower cost, if you decide to gain more power when bouncing light off a 15' ceiling.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Back in the day of film there were flashes that had TWO outputs - one large main output that swiveled and tilted for bouncing and another smaller fixed output facing forward for fill and catch lights - have not seen one in a long time now - wonder why ??

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I think if I were using a scoop type of diffuser I would want it to be ROUND for round catchlites in the eyes and, I think I would line the scoop with crinkeld aluminum foil .......I would also like it to be about 12 inches in diameter.

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

Ouch!

OldCADuser Loc: Irvine, CA

Back when I was still using my DSLR, with it's large external flash unit, I used a diffuser, similar to one shown by 'DirtFarmer' in the second post, that I had made it out of white plastic. But when I moved to mirrorless, the flash unit mount was not compatible with my new camera, so I had to buy a new unit, and since the camera was smaller, I opted for a smaller flash unit. The one I bought offered setting for a wider flash as well as the option to rotate the flash tube so that I could bounce it. I also bought an additional plastic diffuser that slips over the lens of the flash. I generally use it with this diffuser, unless I'm aiming it at the ceiling.

User ID

The lead VP where I was employed had named me the Cool Whip guy. My light modifier was made from a Cool Whip tub, including the frosted lid.

20 yrs later I saw someone using something of the same design and I asked how she came up with that idea. Turned out she bought it as a finished product.

Example of Cool Whip illuminaion

(Download)

MJPerini

SIMIBILL, before you run out and buy stuff, re read the replies above, many say the same thing.
Flash on camera , aimed at the subject is sometimes necessary , but never attractive.
Making a bounce card Bigger does not improve things very much because it still behaves like flash on camera--- it is right near the camera in the red-eye producing zone.
Like the Vivitar 283 with half an index card while the flash points up------- the UP lights the room a bit and the card provides just enough fill to create a catchlight and fill some shadows.
Try it at home , use just the little pop up white card, try 1/4" 1/2" and the full card with the flash pointed up.
Try it with low ISO & Higher iso.
It is easiest to do in manual mode with auto flash.
Try aiming the flash at a side white wall (with the little 'kicker' card still directing light toward the subject)
You can always go out and buy a gizmo, but a couple days of trying it will teach you about lighting.

....and once more what makes light softer, is ANGULAR SIZE of the source relative to the subject. If you put a 3 foot umbrella , 3 feet from a subject you get soft light, put the same umbrella 25 feet away and you get hard light.
That is why if you are 10 or 15 feet from a subject the difference between a tiny white card and a larger say 8" scoop, is negligible, if you are 3 feet away it makes a small difference.
Good Luck, Try it for yourself is the best way to learn anything (except skydiving)

OldCADuser Loc: Irvine, CA

Here's what my flash set-up looks like:

My Sony camera and flash set-up - March 2024 - Apple iPhone 11 Pro

User ID

Amen. A fill card is too small to provide soft light ... *IF* it were the main source.

That why the overall softening is from ceiling bounce and the kicker card is a small portion of the exposure. But it does reduce shadows from the overhead source and can add a few highlights. Ceiling bounced light without the kicker can look dull. If the bright spot on the cieling is right above a subject, eye sockets really need the kicker.

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

Flip-It

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

I'm still using the original Gary Fong diffuser with good results.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Way back when I looked at the Fong diffuser and thought I might try it.

Eventually (and before I spent money on one) I realized that what it does is take the light and toss it around in all directions. A lot of it will get lost in that scenario. So I opted for a white card or ceiling/wall bounce. The white card diffuses the light but only in one general direction. The ceiling bounce will illuminate the subject like lighting in the ceiling would. Bouncing from a wall or behind you will give directional lighting. That is why speedlights are built so they can twist and turn in all directions.

The Fong diffuser will work, but the cost (aside from the capital cost) is that it takes more light to provide illumination of the subject since it wastes a lot of the output from the flash. For a single flash that may not be too important, but if you are shooting frequently your flash will be working harder, leading to flash heating and quicker battery discharge.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Lumiquest makes a more efficient and professional version of that, works well, I did start out using a white card like that, the model I purchased has a bit of a top so that high ceilings are not a problem.