How to make an external flash. Homemade reflector for the built-in flash. Cut to size

If you look at photographs taken indoors with inexpensive cameras with built-in flash, you can easily see that the faces of the people in these pictures turned out to be flat, almost without shadows, brightly highlighted against a dark background. This is why most professional photographers strongly advise beginners to shoot with the built-in flash only in backlit, contrasty, and bright situations, using it as a fill light source.

In order to get good diffused and soft light from a flash in an indoor environment, most professional photographers point the flash light at the ceiling or wall. In this case, the light reflects off these large and usually light surfaces and fills the room quite softly and evenly. But all this is easily achievable only with an external flash, the head of which can be rotated in any direction. But such flashes are very expensive, often they are even more expensive than ordinary cameras. And, besides, many soap dishes do not even have the opportunity to attach such an external flash.

When we direct the light pulse of the flash at the walls and ceiling, these planes, in fact, turn into giant reflectors. In this case, a very simple law of physics works: provided that the light source or light reflecting surface is much larger than the subject itself, then the light falling on this object will become soft.

But what about the built-in flash? Can its light be directed in another direction? For a compact camera, this task, at first glance, seems insurmountable. Yes, and in SLR cameras, built-in flashes are arranged in the same way - all their light falls directly on the face of the person being photographed. Probably, in such a cunning way, manufacturers of photographic equipment want to force us to purchase an external flash? And if we do not want to buy it, since we need it two or three times a year? Why should we spend so much money then? The conclusion here seems to suggest itself: an ordinary lover of photographing for a family album can forget that an external flash exists at all and shoot only with a built-in flash.

Not! Of course it's not! There is a way out of this situation. And we will tell you about it. So how do you do

Homemade reflector for built-in flash

A small piece of thin plastic, or even cardboard, with aluminum foil, which is used for baking, will help us make this. It will be quite simple, but very effective.

Look at this drawing. On it you see the dimensions of the reflector for the built-in flash of a Canon EOS 1000D/1100D/400D/450D/500D/550D/600D/650D SLR camera with a lens focal length of 250 mm. If you have a different camera, then you will have to slightly change the dimensions that are marked with an asterisk in the figure.

The reflector must be cut out of plastic with scissors and pasted over with foil. For reliability and in order for your reflector to serve you as long as possible, you can wrap it in one or two layers of transparent tape. And now you just need to raise the flash of your SLR camera and attach the reflector you made in front of it with the help of an ordinary rubber band, which cashiers usually use to fasten bundles of money. The elastic can be folded in half or three times, so it will be somewhat more reliable. The plane of the reflector should be positioned so that it is at an angle of about 45 degrees to the diffuser glass of the flash unit.

That's it, now you can start taking pictures. Now the light from the flash will be scattered throughout the room. But, nevertheless, before responsible shooting, we still recommend a little practice. At least in order to understand how this whole system will work and what exposure to select when shooting with a reflector. It is worth noting here that if the walls or ceiling in the room where you are shooting is not white, but some other color, then the reflected light of the same color as the reflective surfaces can get on people's faces. And people with blue, yellow or green faces in your photographs, you must admit, this, to put it mildly, is not good. That is why the white balance must be set manually in this case. And it will be optimal to shoot with such a reflector from a distance of 0.5 - 2 meters.

The maximum distance to an object depends on many factors. And from the size of the room in which the shooting takes place, and from the aperture of your lens, and from the ISO sensitivity, and, of course, from the guide number, that is, the power, of the flash of your camera. It must also be taken into account that the brightness of light decreases in proportion to the square of the distance to the subject (this is the inverse square law). For example, if you moved away from the subject by 2 meters, then with the same flash power, the illumination of the subject will decrease by four times. So you should not expect the ideal brightness of the subject when shooting with a flash with a homemade reflector in a relatively large room or in a room with high ceilings, as well as from a distance of more than 2-3 meters.

With mirrors, we seem to have figured it out. But what if you have a "soap box"?

Homemade reflector for the built-in flash of a compact camera

Everything here is almost exactly the same as with a SLR camera, the only difference is that the reflector must be fixed not with an elastic band, but with the help of double-sided tape. But here you need to be attentive to one little thing: pay attention to the fact that your reflector does not overlap the various camera sensors.

In order to make a reflector for the "soap dish", you can just take a piece of white cardboard. But a reflector with foil will still work much better.

It should also be warned that when photographing with a compact camera with a homemade reflector, the photographer needs to protect his own eyes. The point here is that a significant part of the light from the flash will be directed directly at your face. How to get rid of this - think for yourself.

Naturally, our proposed version of such a simple home-made reflector for a camera with a built-in flash is far from ideal. If you take a closer look at the photographs taken with such a reflector, you can easily notice small shadows under the eyes of the people being photographed. But, you see, even this option is much better than a flat face on a dark, sometimes almost black background. And besides, with sharp and rough shadows throughout the object ...

Based on materials from the site:

Using reflectors in photography is an easy way to take advantage of the light available to you and direct it to different areas of your image. This can be done with any surface that reflects light, such as a wall, mirror, cardboard, polystyrene, or aluminum foil.

Reflectors that are used in photography come in a variety of colors, shapes and sizes. Silver, gold, white, and there are also so-called zebras - reflectors that combine several common colors. There are 5-in-1 reflector kits that include a black surface to absorb light and a translucent surface to soften light.

The form

The shape of the reflector depends on the object you want to photograph. The most used are round reflectors as they are easy to fold and transport, but triangular and rectangular ones are also popular.

The size depends on the area you need to highlight. And when it comes to small objects, it's not that easy because standard reflectors are big enough to produce small patches of light. In this article, I will show you how to make small DIY tabletop reflectors.

materials

You can use regular sheets of paper and attach them to other items used as a holder, but this simple technique will definitely give you more control in terms of placing reflectors.

To get started, you will need several sheets of metallic paper. The one I'm going to use is available at stationery or craft stores and is available in a variety of sizes and colors. I bought sheets of 50 x 70 cm, or about 20 x 28 inches, which allowed me to make a great set of reflectors in different sizes and shapes.

A nice feature of this paper is that it is white on the back, so you can use the shiny side or just flip it over to white to get a different type of reflector. In addition to the standard silver and gold, you can buy texture sheets for special light reflection effects.

Cut out on size

Now it's time to cut the paper to size. It depends on the size of the reflector you want to make; in this case I'm making an 8x13 cm (3x5 inch) reflector.

Now draw lines with a ballpoint pen and fold the paper along these lines. You will end up with something like this.

To secure the overlapping edges at the back, I use magnets. You can use duct tape, Velcro, or even reusable glue, but the magnets will allow you to adjust the angle of the reflection as you look for the right light direction.

The magnets are also very useful if you are using some sort of reflector holder rather than setting it on a table.

Installing reflectors

Now that we've made some great reflectors, let's put them to the test.

Throughout my career as a professional photographer I have used high quality lighting equipment, but I have to say that I have always been amazed at what can be done with a simple window light or a table lamp and a couple of reflectors. The following image is an example.

Here's how it was done:

Start with a table lamp and backlight diffuser.

Now the same lamp with diffuser plus reflector on the left.

Now with another reflector on the right.

So here's a simple and effective method that's guaranteed to give you more control over how you light your shots.

Try it!

Most of us cannot afford a collection of all sorts of diffusers and reflectors. But what if you try to make lighting elements manually? In this article, we're going to give you some cool DIY gear ideas that will help you be more productive with flashes and photography equipment in general.

1.Multi-Super-SB-Ring Light

Multi-Super-SB-Ring Light can be realized using six Speedlights. On the surface, this setup looks rather funny, but in practice you can get interesting, all-round lighting, just like using a circular flash. For correct operation, it is necessary to synchronize the work of all components.

2. Ring flash for the poor

A self-made ring flash can come in very handy in your work in low light conditions. Such a device is made from an ordinary plastic bottle. The ring flash is put on the lens in such a way that the plastic plate covers the built-in flash. With it, you can create amazing lighting effects. In addition, such a device will help you save several hundred dollars. In order to make such a lighting device, it will take you only 5 minutes. By making homemade lighting devices, you have the opportunity to experiment with shapes and colors.

3. Homemade photobox

We have all seen gorgeous photos of products and jewelry that seem to be buried in a white background. Such pictures are created in special photo boxes for macro photography. Such a photo box can cost quite a lot, but you can make it yourself, without extra costs. On our site there is an interesting material that will help you make a photobox with your own hands.

4. Original reflector

The design of such a reflector is very simple, but its effectiveness deserves the work that you put into its creation. In addition, the device can make your flash much more useful. The reflector makes it possible to make the light of the built-in flash softer if it is too bright. To create a reflector, you need a thick sheet of white paper.

5. Reflector in the form of a dish

There are dish-shaped reflectors that allow you to create well-lit images and allow you to experiment with light. Not everyone can afford to buy such a reflector, but it is quite possible to make it yourself. To create, you need a shiny foil saucer. The dish must be fixed on an external flash, and then just take pictures.

6. DIY Ghetto Flash Extender

Previously, we have not heard of such a device, but we can assume that it will allow you to beautifully scatter light and make it softer. You can use such a diffuser not only with an external flash, but also with a built-in one. The diffuser will help you use the flash as a fill light.

7. Softbox

Professional photographers use special softboxes that significantly reduce the intensity of flash light, making it softer. You can make a softbox with your own hands. To create such a device, you will need a thick white sheet (silk if possible), Velcro, scissors, glue and a template that you can make yourself or find on the Internet.

8. Unusual diffuser

To create a diffuser, you will need a thin plastic plate, which can also be cut from a milk or kefir bottle. The manufacturing technology is simple and understandable, and everyone can cut the template.

9. Budget Studio Lighting

This setting will be a real salvation for you during studio shooting. Creating such a "complex" of lighting fixtures is quite simple, and, fortunately, not very expensive. The total cost of the lighting system will be no more than $75.

The system includes diffusers, spotlights and reflectors. In this example, the elements are as handmade as possible. Reflectors and diffusers were created from improvised means.

In creating a lighting system, you can apply the knowledge gained in the previous paragraphs. It uses reflectors used to reflect light on car windows, and diffusers are made of paper. The most expensive thing, in this case, will cost you spotlights.

Not! Of course it's not! There is a way out of this situation. And we will tell you about it. So how do you do

Homemade reflector for built-in flash

A small piece of thin plastic, or even cardboard, with aluminum foil, which is used for baking, will help us make this. It will be quite simple, but very effective.

With mirrors, we seem to have figured it out. But what if you have a "soap box"?

Homemade reflector for the built-in flash of a compact camera

In order to make a reflector for the "soap dish", you can just take a piece of white cardboard. But a reflector with foil will still work much better.

Based on materials from the site:

In this short tutorial, I'll show you how to make a diffuser for a built-in flash in 5 minutes from a sheet of plain white paper like "Snow Maiden".

I want to warn you right away that this diffuser will be effective only at close range, no further than 50 - 70 cm. Therefore, you cannot shoot portraits with it. But if there are no other options than using the built-in flash, the diffuser will help soften its light a little, in any case, make the borders of the cut-off transitions not so hard, slightly shade them. Sometimes this is enough.

Also, this diffuser can be useful when using the built-in flash as a fill. In this case, it can already be used for shooting portraits, but, I repeat, only for a little filling in the shadows.

So, you will need a sheet of white paper measuring 210 x 100 mm.

Measure three times 65 mm, the remaining 15 mm is the edge for gluing. Cut out a hole for the built-in flash with a utility knife. Its size will depend on the specific camera model. Don't make it too big so the diffuser doesn't dangle.

Bend the sheet according to the markup, apply a little glue to the side (it is very convenient to use a glue stick for this purpose) and glue the diffuser into a triangle.

Now put the resulting design on the built-in flash

For comparison, here are two pictures, the first was taken with a built-in flash without using a diffuser, the second with a diffuser. It is clearly seen that the edges of the shadows have become softer.

If such homemade products seem trifles to you, then I can say that enterprising people earn very good money on these trifles. You don't have to look far for examples, go to the website of any online store selling photographic equipment. The price of diffusers reaches 1000 rubles!

Isn't it easier to make it yourself at any time in 5 minutes, and practically for a penny?