Sunday, March 1st, 2009

DIY: A Flash Diffuser

First of all, DIY equates to “Do It Yourself”.  The term applies to just about any topic, meaning instead of buying something pre-made, you can build it yourself from other, usually cheaper materials.

What’s a “flash diffuser”, you ask?  It’s a simple object, usually made of translucent plastic, that fits over the ‘lit’ end part of your flash.  I’ve only heard of them being used on external flashes, but I suppose you could DIY for a compact camera, if you were so inclined!  Anyhow, they come in different colours so you can have varying lighting effects in your photos.

What’s the effect on photos?  Well, instead of a harsh light reflecting off of walls and ceilings - which can cause a washed-out photo - it ‘diffuses’ the light from the flash.  Diffusion is generally considered making the light softer by intercepting the light as it travels and reflecting some of it in different directions, so it isn’t all focused on the target of the photo.  It helps to maintain pleasant skin tones in people, for example.

Now to the DIY part of this article - which helpfully points to a great photo tips website.  Read the original article for how to use an airline barf bag as a diffuser!