Omni-bounce plus bounced off-ceiling

[mabman]

At a wedding yesterday (at the reception), the pro had an Omni-bounce on his flash all the time, and was bouncing the flash off the low ceiling most of the time as well.

Just wondering - does Omni-bounce plus ceiling bounce make that much of a difference (even softer light or different coloured light, maybe?) than just a ceiling bounce by itself?

 

[eddym]

The Omni bounce and its clones do a better job at softening the light and especially of filling the dark eye sockets. I almost never use a flash without one, though I do have a few other modifiers that I use as well, sometimes in addition to the omni.

 

[markbarendt]

Bounce is really good! Fills the background some and softens the light.

 

[Solarize]

I am not familiar with the Omni-bounce, but have used other modifiers on a flash unit to soften light.... and yes, using the both the modifier and ceiling bounce together would create a softer effect that using just one or the other. It is more likely that the photographer kept the modifier on for convenience rather than effect in this situation, as it would then be easier to quickly direct the flash at a subject and get a result, without having to find and attach the modifier first.

The colour of the ceiling can quite dramaticaly affect the results, and should be watched carefully for colour photography - but bouncing flash units off ceilings is common practice.

 

[mabman]

It is more likely that the photographer kept the modifier on for convenience rather than effect in this situation, as it would then be easier to quickly direct the flash at a subject and get a result, without having to find and attach the modifier first.

That's what I was thinking as well. However, it did get me thinking if this was a substantially better technique than one or the other, rather than just a matter of convenience. Thanks for that perspective.

The colour of the ceiling can quite dramaticaly affect the results, and should be watched carefully for colour photography - but bouncing flash units off ceilings is common practice.

The interesting thing was the ceiling was mostly wood panels (it was a high-end theme restaurant), which are brown, so I would have thought that would have negatively affected the end result - however, he was shooting digital, so presumably his camera and/or other software can take care of the white balance/colour casts, and he was mostly concerned with the relative hardness/softness of the light itself.

 

[markbarendt]

Mabman,

This technique is not a convienience in my mind, it is truly useful and important.

I actually use this technique a lot when I shoot weddings. Direct flash is fine if all your doing is gently filling, but if the strobe is the main light source (typically true in the situation you described) shooters need to find a way to light the background appropriately too.

Modifiers (any brand) and bouncing help by splitting up the light; a small portion of the light is directed at the subject (maybe 10 to 20%), most though is directed at the cieling or wall or whatever to bounce around the subject to light the background, provide a light direction, get rid of subject shadows, and control the harshness. The light for the background has to go furthar so it takes a lot more volume.

Since the subject is essentially lit directly by the strobe WB is not a big issue, same with the background.

WB only becomes an issue when no direct flash is provided. i.e. On occasion I will remove the modifier and point my strobe generally backwards to bounce against surfaces behind and/or beside me; in this case the room's color makes a big difference, it also takes a whole lot more power. This does though allow me to create very soft lighting because there is no direct light. I can also control the direction of the light across the subject the same way. That's why the heads swivel clear around backwards on the fancier strobes.

If WB is going to be a big issue switching to B&W is an easy choice.

This is a powerful technique once you get some practice.