Bounce Flash

This is a resource page on how to use the NIKON SB-700 Speedlight when it's attached to the camera.

A single (attached) speedlight can be used in a number of useful ways:

1) You can change the angle of the speedlight (0, 45, 60, 75, 90 degrees)

2) You can use the built-in diffuser and "bounce card" to create a softer lighting effect.

3) You can use an attached diffuser to reduce the glare caused by direct flash.

4) You can bounce light off of a ceiling or a wall.

5) You can bounce light off of a reflector.

You'll spend a class or two testing out the gear and getting a feel for it. Other elements to consider, especially when in a dark environment:

- Do you want to see your background lit up, or just the foreground? How you set your shutter speed/ISO will help determine this

- The Inverse Square Law still applies. The closer your light is to the foreground, the less light will make it to the rest of the scene.

- Try the green coloured filter for fluorescent light environments and the orange one for traditional tungsten/incandescent lighting.

Remember that it is still good practice to expose for your background before introducing added light from your flash. Think of it as a 2-step process.

Start thinking about the light source as being not the flash itself, but rather where you are aiming / bouncing your flash.