Review: On Camera Flash Modifiers

Review: various on-camera flash modifiers for bounce flash.
For more details, check out the related article on the Tangents blog:
neilvn.com/tangents/review-bes...
#flashphotography #oncameraflash #bounceflash

[@MaryFilkins]

the best teachers don't try to sell you anything. LOVE IT.

[@patrickelliott-brennan8960]

Four year old video...still as relevant now as it was then. Loved the video, Neil. A new subscriber!

[@MrPetermc199]

Light is light

[@RockMikey]

8 years later.. still works!!

[@markharris5771]

Never seen one of your videos before, but it's so refreshing to hear good old fashioned common sense. Subscribed.

[@stephencutajar2548]

Best tutorial on KZbin regarding light modifiers.

[@jeremydulac5920]

Great video! I love your explanation of the differences and your honesty. All the other videos I have found have people trying to justify each modifier instead of being real about if it is even practical or not, so THANK YOU! P.s. I just received my bulk order of bft's from Amazon ;)

[@mootpointjones8488]

I have often wasted money on gadgets and gizmos and had no luck with them. If only I had put a little more thought into what I was tryiny to achieve I had saved £'s. Your advice and methods are first class. Many thanks!

[@knightyyz]

I like how you used the black foam to stop unwanted light. Brilliant!

[@Bevieevans8]

Thanks Neil. I've purchased your two courses - on and off camera flash which are brilliant, but the one thing I got from this video is how you used the black foamie thing to stop your flash from blinding a 3rd party! Pleased I found your philosophy before I spent ££££s on modifiers!

[@frederickmcdonald6636]

After watching a previous video of yours I immediately subscribed to your channel and this video says I was right to do so. I’d like to see a video of how these would work outside in daylight. You are very direct with your approach and it’s refreshing. Thanks fir this....

[@daveamberphotography]

Thanks Neil for another awesome tutorial - so practical!

[@SanjayJoshi-ls3bj]

A very useful video. Very quickly you have demonstrated the use of different Flash Modifiers & how for Indoor Portraits, whenever possible, bouncing Flash from behind the Camera gives a better result with no shadow. This video answered questions I had for usage of Flash for Indoor Portraits. Thanks a lot for crisp & useful video.

[@alexandergomes3317]

good tutorial sir.....now considering the walls are coloured...what does one do but use a diffuser!!

[@sarithanageshp8312]

excellent demonstration and highly practical and un biased .

[@fromanabe8639]

I have several black foamy things that I used regularly..... many thanks to Neil

[@oseaghin]

Blown away. Thank you, this makes so much sense!

[@Odank]

Great tutorial! Of course this changes a bit when one can get off camera soft lighting in addition to on camera flash as any shadows would get filled in.

[@bawtreerd]

Great video Thanks for your unbiased demo of these products and techniques

[@idontwantacallsign]

Hi Neil. Great Videos. Thank you so much.

[@LorenzoBerni10]

Thanks indeed Neil. So clear and understandable.

[@acarde]

Hey, I've been in that studio. Hi Neil! Long time no talk. Thanks for the video.

[@berniestang2616]

Excellent. Finally - a good bit of advice . Thank u !

[@jojoowens9309]

Thank you sir for ur valuable lessons, you are a true artist.

[@briancowan528]

As ever, thank you for some great info.

[@GoodyMorillas]

“It costs you nothing” that ending was a mic drop.

[@GarryBurgess]

What is you are outside, want to turn day into night but light up your subject without lugging around a giant softbox?

[@ahmadfaris8044]

unbiased, the best video on KZbin unlike the others trying desperately to sell their product.great job sir and beautiful model as well

[@akaredtail]

really informative, great advice thank you!

[@gamingguru2k6]

I purchased a soft box for using my flash off the camera in certain situations. I am not really into portrait photography. The things I want to do tend to be more experimental. I agree with the idea that people don't really need as much gear as they think they do. It really just depends on what you want to do.

[@simianinc]

Interesting review. It assumes that you always have a white surface to bounce off, but in reality, I find most walls and ceilings at the venues I'm at are not white are the subject is no where near a bounce surface. I'm a huge fan of the rogue flashbenders, but I never use them on camera. Radio triggers and receivers are so cheap nowadays, I simply mount my flash on a light stand. Plus you can bend and shape the rogues, so they could function as a black foamy thing or a shoot if you so desired, but also come with grids and and diffuser panels. But to be honest, I've never even tried them on-camera.

[@neilvn]

This comparison, as mentioned, was intentionally limited to just THAT specific scenario - bounce flash indoors.

[@ohrah2003]

Thanks for an informative video. Was wondering what was that design is on your lens hood and lens and is it interchangeable?

[@neilvn]

Those are lens skins. You can get them from B&H and Amazon. They stick on, but they aren't interchangeable.

[@ohrah2003]

@@neilvn thank you

[@bernhardtsen74]

I got 4 cheap speedlites and my kid bro is getting them all! I really like proper old school studio flashes and black/dark backgrounds!

[@artmaltman]

Very well done! Concise, to the point, insightful examples. Thanks!

[@da5idnz]

Great video. Adrienne is stunning, too :). What diffuser is best for outdoors when you can't bounce?

[@neilvn]

da5idnz - anything that is large and doesn't kill too much light. Ultimately you are better off then with off-camera flash and an umbrella / softbox.

[@andredavy1806]

Rogue Flash Bender

[@devonbrandon3260]

Thank You For a common sense approach !

[@michaeldance5734]

I learnt so much from watching this thank you Neil.

[@Twobarpsi]

Great advice! Do these work better outdoors when there is no wall directly behind the subject?

[@neilvn]

Outdoors these all give very similar results, but the best option outside, if possible, is off-camera flash.

[@PJSinohin]

Neil's BFT FTW!

[@gregortidholm]

nice and educational!

[@kirtgermond2304]

Thanks for the vid. however, what do you do with a dark ceiling or dark walls or very high ceilings...bounce won't work well. Also, a proper bracket will always keep the flash over the camera, portrait or landscape, which avoids the bad side shadow, pushing the shadow low on the subject.

[@neilvn]

That question always comes up with tutorials on bounce flash photography. Ideally, when there is nothing to bounce flash off, you use off-camera lighting. That's always the best option that gives you the most consistent results. If you really are in a pinch, then you use any of these light modifiers -- they give much the same results, DEPENDING on how large a light source they create.

[@kirtgermond2304]

@@neilvn thanks

[@kirtgermond2304]

@@neilvn Thanks Neil

[@ColGadarby]

What would you use for direct fill flash outdoors when here is nothing to bounce off....?

[@neilvn]

+ColGadarby Check the links provided in the article mentioned in the info about the video: neilvn.com/tangents/review-best-light-modifiers-for-on-camera-flash/

[@neilvn]

Ideally, an off-camera light source.

[@rudyharding5344]

Good video, are you using ETTL or manual.

[@neilvn]

+Rudy Harding - for this test, I had to rely on TTL for correct exposure, because every modifier would diffuse or spread the light differently.

[@bryantherocker]

11:52 Spoken like a True Master :)

[@wellwhatthen10101]

Sorry for the comment I missed the first part of your video .Yes you did Indeed explain about the location .

[@HEREONOUTBAILEY]

Basically, don't buy in to all these gimmicky flashgun light modifiers.

[@LongTimeTTFan]

Thanks for the info and demos. However, your room has WHITE walls (back, side) and white ceiling close to you so you can bounce the flash. How about in locations where there are NO white walls nearby, say in a large hall, a church or even outside in the open. Or the walls are of other colors.Then, the recommended bouncing method will not apply. Could you do a comparison of the light modifiers in those situations ? I use a hand-held reflector now to bounce the light. But that becomes a bit difficult with just one hand holding the camera. Thanks.

[@evocati6523]

For non-white walls just set your custom white balance beforehand and the color of the wall won't matter enough to worry about. Or take a photo of a grey card along with the other photos and use that as your set point when you edit. Or the best option is to use a color checker instead of just a grey card

[@ared18t]

@@evocati6523 this is useless with black walls lol

[@AllanSutherland]

I just instantly subscribed , why ? Coz this is logical common sense stuff instead of all the usual rot on you tube which is normally based on trying to convince us we need products rather than how to use them ,by using common sense with a knowledge of light combined with knowing about dimension with light you have created as you set out to a beautiful portrait in a situation where one would have to be working on the fly with light gear . I think there are many out there would do well to study light and wot artists have done for centurys instead of having gear they do not know how to use . WE are now in an era where the parabiloc brolly is in fashion so I wish to conduct experiments with just a cheap deep one and the basis of this will be to discover if there is a diff between one and a softbox as they are moved back from subject and if diff rules apply to each and which rules they are . I already know from experience that a large softbox in close with generate very soft smooth gradients from light to shadow and that even a 7 foot silver bounce brolly will cause me probs at 45 degrees with the model facing cam with a harsh shadow from the nose , pull the softbox back and it becomes hard light but even in terms of the inverse square law so I want to now discover about pulling a bounce brolly way back and suspect I may find something unusual and unexpected which differs from the softbox . Yep I could set up a 5 foot octo and create lovely images with great dimension and depth till the cows come home but I need to create more looks and can not exactly afford high powered broncolour units and parabolics which I see often used at quite a distance and pls understand this is more than just the shape focusing the light which was the downside of brollys , it may have been that the brolly always was an amazing modifier with a diff set of rules but no use till now it can be focused . Any advice in this area would be appreciated and I will be happy to share my experimentation when I get a chance .

[@EDHBlvd]

Allan Sutherland you make Gary Fong cry.

[@one4allall4one91]

The only thing is if the walls are painted in other color that is not white. I use some of this and they work outdoors just have to know how to use them.

[@reviewermax981]

Great Video sir, Do you recommend the Gary Fong Lightsphere ?

[@neilvn]

Did you watch the video?

[@fangli]

So what tool the best for photograph a group in outdoor with no celling

[@neilvn]

Off-camera flash with either an umbrella or a softbox. That'd be the better option.

[@fangli]

Neil van Niekerk thanks bro for replying, yes i will buy some flash for lighting and umbrella

[@dentReviews]

epic flower lens. is that so you easily know which lens it is at a glance?

[@neilvn]

Just adds to the sexiness of the lens.

[@dentReviews]

@@neilvn i dig it.

[@twinenk15]

So, not good for portraiture. How about candid group shots at parties?

[@twinenk15]

What technique to you recommended for high ceiling?

[@neilvn]

Pretty much still the same. Here is an article that deals with this topic. (There are links to others.) neilvn.com/tangents/wedding-reception-lighting-with-one-flash/

[@chellelewin4213]

Thankyou, have appreciated your training !!!!!

[@kevinharding353]

Better than the similar Tony Northrup video. Of course there are more options nearly 4 years since this was shot so maybe time for an update ? Thanks !

[@neilvn]

The same principles will always apply, regardless of what kind of plastic or other device you put onto your flash -- you will still have light coming directly along the lens' axis, giving you the same flat hard light. So a follow-up video would have the same conclusion - you are better off bouncing your flash with some thought, rather than relying on a device.

[@kevinharding353]

​@@neilvn Yes I got that message loud and clear (and tried it on my home mannequin to prove it to myself). However I mostly shoot outside (and often travel to remote countries) so a light modifier is a necessity as often (wind & feasibility) a large modifier isn't desirable. Always looking for new 'toys' :)

[@BMWDriver1992]

Absolutely brilliant!

[@MrTommybadger]

A lot of those modifiers were created after Strobist appeared and do better when used off camera or on-camera to add a little fill to brighten eyes and chase shadows out of the face. Regardless the BFT is still the best solution for 99 percent of situations.

[@shedbd]

Amayzing

[@thesteve121]

Wondering if I should quickly go and register 'blackfoamything.com' :) On a serious note, really enjoying your videos Neil - looking forward to more!

[@neilvn]

+Steve Muller I pre-empted such mischief years ago already.

[@thesteve121]

Haha good work!

[@sleepiva5864]

Thanks for sharing! :)

[@wellwhatthen10101]

Neil i am in total agreement with you on all of the modifiers, But i think that you may be missing some information . What you portray is correct, that is if you are in a place where there are walls and a ceiling that are not to high and are white, but this not possible 90% of the time and if you are in a studio most photographers would be using monolights softboxes and a range of light modifiers and not many flashguns . A far better review would be which would be the best modifiers to use in a locations, that have coloured walls and ceilings that are not white or are to high up to be an effective form of bounce lighting. Now this would be a far better review to any budding photographer , which would save them time and money informing them which ones to buy or the ones that are not worth the money

[@neilvn]

Again - this comparison, as mentioned, was intentionally limited to just THAT specific scenario - bounce flash indoors. I stated that directly at the start.

[@ArtKingjr]

I guess you said screw using the F-Stoppers version you had sitting there (lol). You missing one thing that would change how all those modifiers work....a bracket. Shoot with a bracket in most cases and you won't have that shadow and you'll see how well these mods work.

[@neilvn]

You would have a specific shadow behind your subject anyway, regardless of a bracket ... because your light source is small. Also, your light source is on the same axis as your lens with any of those light modifiers, and therefore the lighting will be flat ... unlike directional bounce flash.

[@m.sifflet9443]

Right on!

[@jameswburke]

Really good. Thanks ;-)

[@michaeldavis2520]

We should have discussed outdoor, outdoor at night and dark rooms like a concert hall, without a ceiling to bounce off of.

[@neilvn]

... and studio photography, and then we will have encompassed everything that is flash photography in a single 15 minute video. This video specifically discussed this one scenario. There will be others.

[@kvdgadj]

Those are great for one on one, what about a car show. You are taking picture with other people's around you, also using flash.

[@primemarkproductions9461]

i love you man...

[@lubomirkotik8870]

nice video. could I borrow Adrienne? :-)

[@jorgeu111]

this video is a cure for G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)

[@MarttiSuomivuori]

Aren't you supposed to sell something?

[@neilvn]

I’m going to die a poor man.

[@fintonmainz7845]

Great video but I'm not impressed with any of these products.

[@vatansalvery]

I feel really uncomfortable when watching the video. Sir, can you please wear a wrist strap next time? Thanks!