3

CHAPTER
NIGHT AND LOW-LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY / What Gear Is Important

The easiest way to produce a more flattering light

when using a flash on the camera is to angle the

flash head at a nearby surface to bounce the flash

back at the subject. A nice white ceiling or wall

does this really well and turns a small, hard flash

into a large, soft light source. The difference is

noticeable, as shown in Figures 3-13 and 3-14.

any good camera shop. There are also a lot of
third-party light-modifying tools available from
companies such as Gary Fong, LumiQuest, and
Honl. These just attach to the head of the flash
and can really change the light that is produced.
They work both when the flash is attached to the
camera and when it is used off camera.

ABOUT THIS PHOTO

This photo was taken with

the flash pointed forward,

and while it isn’t a bad photo,

you can see the harsh shad-

ows right behind the puppy’s

chin. Taken at 1/30 second,

f/5.0, and ISO 200.

ABOUT THIS PHOTO

This photo, taken just after

Figure 3-11, had the flash

aimed up at the white ceiling;

this bounced the light, making

it much softer and eliminating

the hard shadow behind the

puppy. Taken at 1/30 second,

f/5.0, and ISO 200.

3-13

3-14