Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/02/23

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Bounce Flash
From: Alan Ball <AlanBall@csi.com>
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 15:21:53 +0100

Mark Rabiner wrote:
> What got you down on bounce flash? Color? It's helped me a bunch of
> times although not in years...snip....
> For some photographers bounce flash is a dirty word and I don't grasp
> the logic.

Mark,
Bounce flash is a fantastic tool even in colour work, as long as the
walls and ceiling are reasonably white. It is like having an extra large
diffuser and sometimes even multiple flash. The light in those
circumstances is always better than the tungstenish mix that makes
available light work a drag in color (lamps, the occasional neon + the
sun through the window light of course). Of course that light is less
'atmospheric' than available light or even than carefully mixed direct
flash/ambient light. In b/w of course it is more tempting to use the
available light, whatever the mix...

I also always carry the portable bounce plastic gizmo for the Metz. With
35mm-85mm lenses it gives a very pleasing light for casual portraits
(manager fiddling around his PC or his white board, manager posing in
his factory, etc). With longer lenses it gives an effect closer to the
dreaded 'creampie' face that comes with direct flash.

Alan