OK, so what's all this about - I thought we were going to hear some more about "Classical Portraiture" you say. Well, that was the plan until I finally decided that since I was down here in Tampa working on my Kelby Training videos, I would keep this week's Technique Tuesday more on topic with what I was doing down here. So look for another session on Classical Portraiture next Tuesday.
So what about today, you say? Boy, am I glad you asked - because today I'm going to save you hundred of dollars on lighting equipment. Sure,
DIYPhotography has lots of ways to save a buck, sure the
Strobist talks about money saving ring light set-ups, but today, yes, today is worth about $50 - $100 in your pocket. How you say - well let me tell you. There are so many contraptions out there for your on camera flash to soften, spread, and bounce the light around the room and they all cost upwards of $50 to $100. Well, folks, no more do you have to shell out your hard earned cash on those flash accessories because today I going to show you how to make one in about 10 minutes with a total cash outlay of $5 , tops and you'll end up with a spare one to boot! Heck, sell it to your neighbor for $10 bucks and you are way ahead of the game. OK are you ready - here we go...
Head down to your local Michael's craft store and pick up a $.79 piece of craft foam - the very thin variety. Next cut it in half - the resulting piece is about 9" x 11" - the perfect size. Now attach one piece of "Velcro" to each of the corners as shown.
Apply the corresponding "Velcro" pieces to your on-camera flash as shown.
Now attach your new flash diffuser to the flash as shown - this is getting pretty darn exciting about now, isn't it?
Now lets see if it works.
I set up my 2 580 EX flashes to fire in the "Master-Slave" configuration so you could see the result. Amazing, isn't it.
Look how the light spreads over the entire white diffused surface of my new light modifier. Run it with the on flash diffuser in place and see how the light coverage is closer to the flash head on the following image.
Retract the on flash diffuser and see how the light pattern moves up and away from the flash head slight - this is my preference, by the way - I think the light is spread more as shown below.
Wait there's more - you can even adjust the new diffuser, tilting it forward and backward slightly to control your light even more! What versatility, what a beautiful light, what a cheap way to get things done! There you have it folks - don't say thank you, just past this good news to all your friends, family, associates and keep smiling ;~) --David
I'd say the answer is when I'm shooting wedding images and I want the background to go really, really soft. We were shooting at a church yesterday that had a very small garden just outside the side foyer door. I couldn't go outside and make the shot - just not enough space without trampling the plants. Something I would never do!! But I really wanted to get the shot. So, I like to back up, use a long focal length lens, and a larger aperture to really blur the background especially if the background is not really that attractive. Take a peek at the location I was working in. Now look at the image I captured of the bride with the technique just mentioned - pretty cool. 
You can get some more info on when to shoot with larger apertures right here at PhotoAxe - check it out.
It worked out perfectly. Great minds think a-like, I guess.
Well, I think I know how it was done. Check out this article over at 
I was struck by the detail, composition and color of her pieces. She has had a quite successful first gallery show and more are in the works. Her work is available as signed 
Hey, what can I say, I'm stoked! So, email, call, write your family friends, acquaintances, anybody you know and tell them to check out 
