Why you need a bounce card

[darkness]

I was feeling really bored just now and did a little experiment. Actually this was spinned off by my sister's request over the weekend to help her take a mugshot for her passport photo. I was trying to use a Stofen Omnibounce over my flash and found that the effect was really bad for portrait shots, since the flash is coming in from the left of the lens, it keep casting an ugly shadow on the right of the wall.

I think this picture says it all.

Left: Direct flash 90 deg upward onto ceiling
Middle: Direct flash 90 deg upward with bounce card face forward
Right: Stofen Omnibounce 90 deg upward

I think it is clear which one has the best effect for portraitures. While in this pic the left picture delivers the best result, for human face, that would have resulted in harsh shadows under the eyes, nose and chin. With a bounce card, the effects would be better with fill flash into these shadow region with minimal rear shadow on the wall.

Looks like I need to make my bounce card soon, since I was just holding an A4 paper behind the flash for this shot... :bsmilie:

Comments?

 

[xxpmrong]

are bounce cards really a DIY thing? or is there something that will really last that we can buy?

 

[darkness]

I do not know if there are commercially available bounce cards, but for a little bit of money (say $5) and some work, you can do for yourself a bounce card that lasts. I made 1 in the past with 2 sides, a golden side for portraits and a white side for normal shots and it lasted as long as I had my flash before I sold it off (that was last 3 years ago). With the right material (i.e., plastic type or hard cardboard), you can make a bounce card that will last a long long time.

 

[darrrrrrrrrr]

there's the jusbounce bounce card for $18 in the MO sub-forum or from tk foto.

higher budget you have the demb flip-it diffuser for $18.

i bought a a4 size polypropylene sheet (2mm thickness, feels plasticky and not styrofoam) from daiso and a velcro band. it's a bit hard to cut through but i managed with a pen knife and scissors. total cost $4.

 

[LQ235]

You might want to go to http://abetterbouncecard.com/ if ur having problems constructing ur bounce card..Cheers!

 

[Oly5050]

I do not know if there are commercially available bounce cards, but for a little bit of money (say $5) and some work, you can do for yourself a bounce card that lasts. I made 1 in the past with 2 sides, a golden side for portraits and a white side for normal shots and it lasted as long as I had my flash before I sold it off (that was last 3 years ago). With the right material (i.e., plastic type or hard cardboard), you can make a bounce card that will last a long long time.

tat is an excellent idea to use a golden bounce. where to get this gold paper?

 

[darkness]

tat is an excellent idea to use a golden bounce. where to get this gold paper?

There is this type of huge cardboard that people normally buy to mount on notice boards. One side is gold and the other side is those standard matt white. You can easily find them in bookshops such as Popular. I think one piece is around $3.

 

[PhotoProZero]

Bounce cards generally can DIY cheaply. I went to some small stationary stall, purchased some flexible white plastic-coated cardboards (ownself go cut to your liking) + velcro strips. Wah la! TCO, less than $2 per piece.

 

[ortega]

for the shot above, i would go with a ceiling bounce + a reflector, instead if a bounce card

notice the shadow in the bounce card shot?
a reflector would add frontal light and still not cast that shadow

 

[darkness]

for the shot above, i would go with a ceiling bounce + a reflector, instead if a bounce card

notice the shadow in the bounce card shot?
a reflector would add frontal light and still not cast that shadow

I supposed you meant a handheld reflector held by an assistant? Or something else?

 

[ortega]

I supposed you meant a handheld reflector held by an assistant? Or something else?

a reflector can be anything that reflects light
in the case of the shot above a white box will also do

 

[night86mare]

I think it is clear which one has the best effect for portraitures. While in this pic the left picture delivers the best result, for human face, that would have resulted in harsh shadows under the eyes, nose and chin. With a bounce card, the effects would be better with fill flash into these shadow region with minimal rear shadow on the wall.


Comments?

there is no best effect for portraitures, same as there is no one size fits all solution for any genre of photography

i'm not into lighting, but it really, really depends on what sort of effect and concept you want. in some cases even direct flash would work.

if you mean general portraiture though, i.e. for holidays, family members, etc.. yes.. then if you want something to prevent harsh shadows, etc, a bounce card can do wonders.

ppcp (which has shut down) used to sell the flip it. someone (g-khoo, i think) has done a writeup on how to DIY flip it using materials from popular bookstore. you can do a search if you want.

 

[dingzyangz]

just to add... sometimes can try using the palm as the "bounce card".