The Flash Book

Bounce Flash Can Save the Day

If you’re in a situation where you can’t use a softbox, or using a softbox would be impractical—like at an event, or in the bride’s “make ready” room at a wedding—you can use “bounce flash” to spread and soften your light. When it’s done right, it actually works amazingly well (not as good as a softbox, but it’s way better and more flattering than direct flash). Essentially, you just tilt the flash head up at a 45° angle—the light hits the ceiling, spreads and softens, and bounces down at the same angle toward your subject (think of how you a hit the cue ball on a billiard table, so it bounces off a rail at an angle ...