----- Original Message ----- From: Stephen Hoffman Subject: Flash for portrait
> > I have an AF 360 FGZ but I am new to the idea of dedicated flash. I will be > using the flash unit on a 645NII. When I took my first portrait photos with > straight flash not surprisingly the light was harsh and the shadows (on my > makeshift sheet as a backdrop) harsher. I tried using a Photoflex On-Camera > XTC II softbox to soften the light. I could tell that it did have some > effect but nowhere near as soft as I would like. I don't have the money for > a fancy lighting system or the room to set up a studio. I'm just trying to > find an optimum, inexpensive way to produce well lit photos without the > harshness or shadows that professional studios make. Any and all > ideas/comments are greatly appreciated. The trick is to make the light source as large as possible. If the photoflex isn't big enough, try making a largish bounce reflector out of white foamcore. The foamcore is attached to the flash head (elastic bands), and the flash is fired straight up into it. Bend the foamcore at a 45�angle over the head and it will bounce the light to the subject. I have seen some very large reflectors made with this method. William Robb - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
