I know – sometimes it’s too dark to shoot and you don’t have any off-camera kit, so you have to use your flash “on camera”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the light you get off a direct flash is horrible – there’s an example in the video below. It serves a purpose, but it creates a passport photo look rather than that creative look we’re all after as photographers<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what can you do? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well with most Speedlites, you can point the head in almost any direction, so the light doesn’t go straight to the model – that way it looks a lot better, but you do need a reflective surface for the light to bounce off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most indoor locations have white ceilings, so you just point the flash straight up and it’s job done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some have white walls, so you can point them straight at the walls instead (we demonstrate this in the video too);<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when you’re out in the open, you’ve nothing to bounce off – hence we take reflector with us, get someone to hold it next to the model and then point the flash at it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This short video shows photos from our workshop<\/a> to illustrate exactly this point – we hope it’s helpful<\/p>\n\n\n\n