Flash Tips: Flashes with soft light

Tips for using the Nikon Intelligent Flash System


Use Reflection


Flash light is a great thing, it makes us independent of natural light. However without a few small adjustments it is hard and throws ugly shadows. Above all, portraits suffer from this type of light. Then the hour of the softboxes beats. Depending on the design principle, they are attached to the flash reflector or placed over the reflector housing. They scatter the light, make it so much more diffuse and significantly reduce the contrast between light and shadow parts. Almost all motifs benefit from this, so that the softbox can be permanently on the system flash. The only catch: softboxes reduce the light output by one to three iris, depending on the model.


The alternative to the softbox is a reflector (bouncer), a matt-white reflection surface that is attached directly to the flash head and then slotted. On the one hand, the light is emitted over a larger area and scattered at the same time, which has a similar effect to a softbox. The light quality can also be influenced by silver or gold foils over the reflecting surface, but reflectors also cost light.


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Soft light without accessories offers the indirect flashing. To do this, the flash reflector is directed upwards against the ceiling. This makes the ceiling a surface spotlight that plunges the room into a pleasantly soft light. If this is also possible in the case of high-format recordings, the reflector must not only pivot, but also rotate around its own axis.


Unfortunately, a lot of light is also lost during indirect flashing. The light must travel a considerably longer distance, correspondingly the guide number decreases. In addition, the light is scattered by the reflection on the ceiling and also loses its luminosity. If the ceiling has a color, more light is lost, and the strobe light has a color. Also check the images for uniform illumination after shooting: if the tilt of the flash reflector is not correct, some of the subject may appear darker.


The i-TTL system; flash exposure memory; FP short-sync; long-time sync and second curtain; multi-unit flash; near-range flashing near-field flash