The New York Institute of Photography is one of the world’s largest photography schools and because we are, we often publish fun and useful photography tips on our photography blog. Please enjoy!
Bouncing your flash source is an incredible technique to take advantage of when you want to capture a photo of your subject’s face with soft highlights and open shadows.
To achieve this method properly, aim your light away from your subject rather than directly at their face as you normally would. Try pointing at the ceiling or a nearby wall instead (it works better if the wall surfaces you’re using are white ones). For the best effect, try pointing the flash at the corner where two white walls meet.
This technique will provide you with some great lighting, but softer than that which you’d achieve with a direct flash. With a direct flash, the beam of light you’re producing is extremely narrow. With this indirect method, the surface you’re utilizing acts like a large, expansive light source instead, filling in any dark areas and producing shadows with much gentler edges.
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