Bounce Flash Photography Tutorial and Its Importance
In this video we will be learning the art of bounce flash photography by pointing our off-camera flash to bounce off the ceilings and walls in an indoor setting.
You will realize that when you bounce the flash, it creates a really soft light and the subject looks much more flattering as harsh shadows and specular highlights are avoided. Here is the video:
This video is from our Off-Camera Flash for Beginners Course, which has 33 videos and 4 hours of video content. You can access the full course using the link below:
Off-Camera Flash for Beginners Course
Video Summary
This video tutorial explains the concept of Bounce Flash and its importance in shifting from the “quantity” of light to the “quality” of light to create more flattering images.
Key Concepts and Techniques
- Hard Light vs. Soft Light: * Hard Light is produced by small light sources (like a flash pointed directly at a subject). It creates harsh, defined shadows and intense “specular highlights” or hot spots [02:35].
- Soft Light is produced by larger light sources. It results in a gradual, unnoticeable transition between highlights and shadows [08:25].
- The Size Principle: A key rule in photography is that a larger light source relative to the subject produces softer light [04:06].
- Bouncing Techniques: An external flash is superior to a pop-up flash because its head can rotate, allowing you to turn small flashes into large light sources by reflecting them off surfaces [05:54].
- Ceiling Bounce: Tiling the flash upward turns the entire ceiling into a large light source, creating soft light that eliminates harsh chin shadows [06:15].
- Rear Bounce: Pointing the flash at a wall behind the photographer creates a front-lit look that is even more even and flattering [10:15].
- Side Bounce: Reflecting light off a side wall creates dramatic side-lighting while maintaining a soft quality [11:59].
- Flash Modifiers: Tools like umbrellas and softboxes can also be used to enlarge the light source, which is particularly useful when shooting outdoors where there are no walls or ceilings to bounce from [05:06].
