 Ruth Downing |
Avoiding Harsh Shadows with Flash What is the best way to avoid the ugly shadows apparent when using flash with the camera in an upright position? I have no problems using flash with a bracket when camera held in normal position but still get harsh shadow problem when held upright. Can they be removed successfully in Photoshop?
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
robert G. Fately |
Ruth, when you say using the camera in an upright position, are you referring to rotating the camera 90 degrees so if the flash is on the hot shoe it is now aimed from the side rather than above the lens? If so, then you may want to consider getting a flash bracket - as this is precisely why those were invented. The idea of the bracket is to allow you to turn your camera body 90 degrees and still leave the flash at the 12 o'clock position - that is, above the lens rather than to its side. Stroboframe and Custom Brackets, among many others, offer units such as these. Alternatively, you may want to get an add-on piece of specially-shaped vinyl offered by Gary Fong - a very successful wedding photographer in the L.A. area. His Photojournalist Lightsphere II is actually amazing - it sits on the flash and is designed to have the flash unit pointed straight up towards the ceiling. If your flash unit has the ability to twist the head sideways, then you can rotate the camera to the vertical position and twist the flash head towards the ceiling again. As a result, without the use of a camera bracket you can get pretty great lighting. In fact, I'll sell you my bracket since I now use the PJII and don't use it any more... As for getting rid of the shadows you already have - there's just no easy way. This is a real retouching job.
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Mark Feldstein |
There are a lot of ways to rid your work of shadows, and a lot easier ones than using PS. Initially, get your subjects away from the background and soften your lighting somehow, either by bouncing it off a white ceiling probably no more than 8-9 feet high. As Bob suggested, a light modifier of some kind is helpful. Most of them run about $40 or so. Gary Fong's rig is one, Stofen makes another, Lumiquest makes one too. All are available at http://www.bhphotovideo.com under flash accessories. My own preference is the Lumiquest that I use with a Vivitar 285HV on a Stroboframe Flip Flash bracket. Another way is to use available light and use your flash for fill light, but again, move people off the background, say 8-10 feet away from the wall behind them. OR find a black or very dark background to use, which will usually hide the shadows even if they're standing close to the background. Take it light.
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Bill Haycock |
Using the Canon 580EX has solved this problem for me! The ability to swivel the head and use the diffuser as well as the white blank so as to not have the flash aimed directly at the subject is the way to go - also, as stated above - have your subject away from a background that causes a shadow to form. So, "bounce", diffuse, and subject placement will help. Bill
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Ruth Downing |
Hi, Many thanks to Bob, Mark & Bill for responding to my question. I will look into buying the PJII or alternatively I'll get in touch with Bob to take him up on his offer of buying his old bracket. Thanks again
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Roy Blinston |
I have heard that those clip-on plastic covers don't really soften the light enough. Another solution could be to cover your flash head with a thin hankerchief or thin cloth and attach over your flash head with an elastic band. Whilst watching Pay TV I have noticed some pro's are now using a mini softbox attached to the off-camera flash (using sync cord). I can imagine this to be a really good idea and am investigating buying one. Being off camera also (with cord) one can move the flash around (high low etc) to get more natural looking lighting. The only thing it doesn't have is the "model light" (that is standard on studio soft box lighting), so some guesswork is required.
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
anonymous A. |
Moving the subject away from the background doesn't prevent hard shadows from, say, the nose against the face; brackets help a bit (and do a pretty good job with red-eye). Bouncing off a neutral surface works well, and if the camera is in the vertical/portrait orientation, a wall works just as well as a ceiling. But you may not have a suitable wall or ceiling. Diffusers are good, but reduce your flash output. I like to use a small slave flash or two for fill or to light the background (they are extremely cheap and easy to use). I still use bounce whenever practical with the slaves, and when it isn't practical to use them, and there are no walls or other ceilings, I turn the flash head away from the subject and bounce it off a piece of white card (see the dragonfly pictures in my gallery).
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Patricia A. Cale |
I've tried the other diffusers and was not happy with the lighting. The PJII softens the light and your photos look like you used studio lighting. I'm uploading a shot of my grandson taken on Christmas Day using the PJII.
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Patricia A. Cale |
http://www.patborowicz.com/-/patborowicz/detail.php?photoID=1610424&cat=6629
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Roy Blinston |
I have one of those Plastic Vinyl reflectors (which sounds like the PJII above). They have been aorund for years. Mine is over 25 years old. The work well, but are a bit clumsy because they stand so high on your flash, which is alreday extended upwards. It becomes like a little tower on top of your camera and draws strange looks from onlookers. One day I decided to flatten it out and re-draw trace it. They are very easy to make from my template and can be printed onto Card then cut out , crease folded and assembled on your flash head. If anyone wants my template in PDF, send me an email and I will forward it to you. I haven't done it yet, but I was going to experiment by printing the template onto "coloured card" (rather than white) just for special effect. The concept sounds interesting and this could be used in conjunction with "opposite colour filters" on the lens to create some wild background colours (out of range of the flash) which was popular in the late 60's with fashion shots. The trick is getting the "exact opposite" colour filter to the colour of your reflector (so as to neutralise the colour effect on the flash foreground).... thereby only the background is coloured (per your lens filter).
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Kix Pix |
I'm not sure about that one. The LS PJ hasn't been around for 25 years. 5 maybe, not 25. It would be intersting to see what it is you do have.
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
Michael A. Bielat |
Light is a wonderful thing. White colors bounce all the light specturm and black colors absorb all the spectrum, blah blah blah... Light also can cast some mean shadows... You will need to really start bouncing the light. Trust the flash that it will shoot the light from it and it will bounce off nearby surfaces no matter what they are... from walls, ceilings, whiteboard, reflectors, tin foil, etc... Play with the light... If the shadow cast is behind the subject, wrap them up with light so make the light go all around them. Easiest way is to incorporate a second flash (in slave or remote mode with the main flash the master) and as always bounce the flash and even diffuse the light... Bouncing gets rid of glare and also removes most of the harsh white-outs on the subject's faces and whatnot... Diffusing bounces the light all around so it will cover more of an area better. Just remember to bounce the light off things and experiment.
|
|||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
This old forum is now archived. Use improved Forum here
Report this Thread |
||||||||