I have become very fond of the Bounced flash look in my photos except sometimes they appear a little on the soft side especially around the Facial or Cheek area of subjects. I am assuming a more powerful on camera flash would possibly remedy this. My question is how much power (Guide Number) wise is necessary to get good consistant bounce shots in indoor situations, I know it has to do with the bounce conditions (ceiling heights white walls etc.) but what type of power is usually sufficient for this. I'm wondering if I need to drag one of my high power Alien Bee units out there with me!
Joanphoto wrote:
I have become very fond of the Bounced flash look in my photos except sometimes they appear a little on the soft side especially around the Facial or Cheek area of subjects.
"Soft" can mean different things, so posting examples of shots you like versus shots you don't would be helpful.
In standard terminlogy, bounce lighting is soft by nature; that is, because of the large size of the bounce surface relative to the subject, the lines separating light and shadow will be gradual and indistinct. It's the same principle as using a "soft box," only more so.
Soft could also mean out of focus, which could be a result of insufficient depth of filed, and more powerful lights could help there by allowing a smaller aperture.
Softness could also be a result of motion blur, and a faster shutter speed and/or a higher flash-to-ambient ratio might help.
Lastly, some people incorrectly refer to an image with low contrast as being soft (and soft lighting often is low contrast, but not always).
It's hard to give a definitive answer without more detail about the problem.
Thank you to all the responses! I am unable to upload any examples but I was assuming that if I used more power the stop would be smaller creating some sharpness, But perhaps this does not work in actual practice, my present on camera Promaster flash has a guide number of 130.
Joanphoto wrote:
...I was assuming that if I used more power the stop would be smaller creating some sharpness, But perhaps this does not work in actual practice
If the issue is out-of-focus areas due to shallow depth-of-field then, yes, a smaller aperture could help.
Joanphoto wrote:
...my present on camera Promaster flash has a guide number of 130.
By way of camparison, the Canon 430EX has a GN (in metres) of 43, which is about 141 in feet.
The 580EX has a GN of 58m or about 190 in feet.
So your Promaster is a low- to moderately-powerful flash; just a tad less powerful than a 430EX, but more than a 270EX and much more than built-in camera flashes.
BrianO wrote:
By way of camparison, the Canon 430EX has a GN (in metres) of 43, which is about 141 in feet.
The 580EX has a GN of 58m or about 190 in feet.
So your Promaster is a low- to moderately-powerful flash; just a tad less powerful than a 430EX, but more than a 270EX and much more than built-in camera flashes.
Hello BrianO, So what you are saying is my flash power should be adaquate for bouncing!
Joanphoto wrote:
Hello BrianO, So what you are saying is my flash power should be adaquate for bouncing!
In an average-sized living room in a home, almost definitely; in a reception hall in a church probably; in a basketball arena, probably not; etc.
It will depend on your ISO setting, aperture, proximity and color of bounce surfaces, etc. I'm just saying that your flash is less powerful than what many of us carry, but more than a pop-up flash, so it's a good start. Try it, and only if it doesn't work for your type of shooting will you need to upgrade to a more-powerful light, or -- and this is worth exploring in any case -- adding additional lights.
Thanks BrianO, The Promaster Flash I'm using is the most powerful I could find for my Olympus that will work with it's TTL, the only other flash more powerful for it is an actual Olympus OE Unit, the FL-50 which has a very high guide number but also comes at a very high price.
Joanphoto wrote:
...the only other flash more powerful for it is an actual Olympus OE Unit, the FL-50 which has a very high guide number but also comes at a very high price.
Yeah, that's an expensive flash. It currently sells at B&H for $499; $50 more than the even more powerful Canon 580EX II. Olympus does have a reputation for very high quality, though.
