Manual Bounce Cards

By Dusty Rhodes

Techniques

16 November 2008 05:07

When I purchased my flashgun, joyful days began. But, I was soon looking for ways to take some of the harsh light from some of my pictures. I knew that I could bounce the light off the ceiling (my strobe doesn't rotate horizontlly). That was great; but I couldn't always use the ceiling (too high or an odd color). My flash didn't have a built-in "bounce card", so I started using a white card held on with a rubber band (looks really tacky if you are trying to look professional).

I found a simple solution -I now use 'Scunchi' bands. These are the cloth-coated rubber bands ladies use for their hair. They come in a variety of colors, though the only color I needed was black. You get about a dozen bands for only $3-$4. They hold my 'white card (paper sheet), and allow the card to slide forward or backward easily so my white card can remain on the flash. Another advantage to the manually added bounce card is the ability to switch the cards; different colours for different lighting effects, or different surfaces to vary the output.