Using a flash Diffuser

Using a flash diffuser

On-camera flash may be a convenient and affordable way of lighting your portrait shots, but the harsh direct light can make your subject look more like an escaped convict than a film star. Undiffused light comes from a very small point (the tube inside the head of the flash) so it produces very strong directional light. Think of it like a small desk lamp: pointing the lamp directly at your subject will produce strong, well-defined shadows and very bright highlights. This is fine if your subject is flat, but point it at a face and you’ll show up every lump, bump and imperfection going.

Many units offer the facility to angle the flash head so you can bounce the light off a nearby ceiling or wall. This does soften the light, but the surface you’re bouncing the flash off needs to be white, or at least neutral, to prevent introducing unwanted colour casts. If there’s no convenient wall or ceiling available, you can diffuse the light coming straight out of your flashgun.

The easiest way is also the cheapest: just use an elastic band to fasten a piece of tissue paper over your flasgun head. For something more sturdy, you can buy commercial flash diffusers by Stofen and Lumiquest.

Effectively what you’re doing is making the light source bigger. The bigger the light source, the softer the shadows and the more flattering the result.

Most flashguns do have some basic diffusion built into the head (the clear, patterned plastic screen that you can see on the front of your flashgun), but this deliberately kept to a minimum so that the flash gives out the maximum power possible.