Bounced light vs diffused light

For a few weeks, I started playing with the diffuser dome (shown on the left) on my SB-800 speedlight. My thinking was to diffuse and soften the light of the light so my subjects do not turn into a bright reflective object. I got a little carried away with the idea so much so I started using it almost every single time I shoot with flash. Bad idea.

In a room with a ceiling, bounce light is much better. You should really use the diffuser dome only if bounce light is not possible, e.g. extremely high ceilings or coloured ceilings (to which you can compensate with a filter gel).

So here I am in Frisco, TX in my younger brother's house. They have a dog, Winnie. She is a lot of fun, as my niece is having a ball with Winnie over the last few days.

I took a few shots of Winnie with and without the diffuser dome. With the diffuser dome, I would sometimes try to bounce the already softened light off the wall. The results are not impressive, but predictable. Very dark. Very different results with and without the dome.

In the second picture of Winnie this post, I pointed the flash with the diffuser demo directly at her. The light is soft but the photo would look much better without the shadow behind the dog.

The third photo was in a room with relatively high ceiling. The windows face west so the morning sun does not help much to brighten the room so a flash was required. Mind you that Winnie can never be kept still so you take whatever shot you can while in action.

The last shot was taken in a family room. The ceiling is of normal height.

For the third and fourth photos, I directed the undiffused flash straight up the ceiling. The bounced light adds to the ambient light. The result is a softer light casted and the photo is still sharp. I took many other pictures of the family and the house with the bounce light. Much better results there too.

Happy Holidays, from Frisco, TX.