Just a fly...

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twebster
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Just a fly...

Post by twebster »

Hi y'all, :D

I was out testing a new diffuser design and found this hapless fly as a test subject... :D

Image
Hapless Fly Canon EOS 20D with 90mm Tamron macro lens + Canon EF 2x II teleconverter+ 12mm Kenko extension tube placed between lens and teleconverter, Canon 550ex flash at -1/3 stop, 1/250 sec @ f 16, homemade flash diffuser.

I am experimenting with a double panel diffuser design. One diffuser panel fits flush against the flash head and a second diffuser panel is held extended about 4" to 5" in front of the flash head. It appears to work pretty well when placed close to the subject. Research continues... :D

Enjoy, my friends :!: :D
Tom Webster
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Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

Think about this...maybe Murphy is an optimist!!!

rjlittlefield
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Location: Richland, WA, USA
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Post by rjlittlefield »

Tom, the image looks good!

I think I understand about the diffuser close to the subject. I have gotten good results with a similar setup for studio lighting, using a diffuser close to subject, illuminated by a pair of frosted floods some distance away.

But why two diffusers in your setup? Is the flash so narrow angle that it won't light up the whole diffuser next to the subject, without the diffuser at the flash? Or is something more subtle going on?

--Rik
Reworks and reposts of my images in this forum are always welcome, as are constructive critiques.

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twebster
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Post by twebster »

Hi ya' Rik, :D
Rik wrote:I have gotten good results with a similar setup for studio lighting, using a diffuser close to subject, illuminated by a pair of frosted floods some distance away.
Your setup could be made even more successful by bringing the flood lights closer to your diffuser. The closer the light source is to the subject the less the light source acts as a point light source resulting in less harsh shadows. Adding additional diffusion makes for even less harsh shadows. However, electronic flashes have fresnel lenses to act as condensers to focus the light. A single layer of diffusing material just cannot diffuse the light enough from an electronic flash close to a subject for my tastes. The old Stofen Omni-bounce heads come close but they eat up a lot of f stops. A singly diffused flash still acts more as a point light source.

What I want is lighting like you would get from a light box. I want my light source to be big and broad compared to the subject. I settled on making a black foamcore box 3" x 4" x 4" and lined the interior of the box with white paper. I left one end of the box open but cut a rectangular hole in the closed end to slip over the flash head. I cut a piece of milk jug to fit over the open end of the box to act as the final diffuser.

I cut a small piece of milk jug to fit the flash head. I tape this diffuser directly over the flash head and then insert the flash head in the cut out of my diffusion box. I set the focal length on the flash head to the widest focal length lens the flash can cover (24mm on my Canon 550ex). Now, the diffuser taped to the flash head disrupts the condenser effect of the fresnel lens on the flash head and the wide angle setting on the flash allows for a lot of light to bounce around inside the diffuser box. You get a mixture of directly diffused light and bounce-diffused light that strikes the second diffuser at the other end of the diffuser box. That whole second diffuser emits extremely even light and, positioned close to the subject, becomes a very large, broad light source compared to the size of the subject.

I'm posting an image of an algae eater that I made using the double diffuser diffusion box, http://www.photomacrography1.net/forum/ ... 6894#26894. Look at the highlight in the eye. I have never seen such a soft highlight. :D

Best regards as always, my friend. :D
Tom Webster
Administrator

Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

Think about this...maybe Murphy is an optimist!!!

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