Flash modifiers: intro
This is the first of a series of articles on flash modifiers – thingamajigs that can make your flash photography more interesting and give you more control over the light.
I have always loved using off-camera flashes and have to extended my arsenal of different flash modifiers. In small series of articles I will concentrate on the type you can mount directly on the flash. I may return to umbrellas, softboxes, diffuser screens other larger modifiers later.
A while back I started assembling a flash modifier kit. I started out with a simple home made snoot for some coin photography.
Snoots are one kind of modifier, but there are many more: filters, grids, flags, and gobos to mention some. Diffusers can also be counted, but are on the border if you look at modifiers in a more traditional manner. I will not make this a complete flash photography 101, but just briefly touch on each type, and then return to each in separate articles. Much of this will be DIY-stuff. I love making my own gear, and modifiers are one of the areas where it's both possible and in many cases gives you better gear than what you can buy -- or at least as good. And always less expensive. The thing about these modifiers is that you can make them exactly as you envision and not like a standard product. Each of them does a specific job, and in many cases you mod them on location to do exactly that. There are tonnes of ready made modifiers out there and I will mention a few in these articles.
But let me just begin by running through each type quickly and illustrate each effect in a small schematic:
Unmodified flash: the bare flash as it lights with no modifiers. Some flashes have zoom functions, which can narrow and widen their light beam, some have built-in wideangle diffusers, which spread the light.
Diffusers: modifiers that serve to spread the light - typically to create softer shadows. Many flashes come with such modifiers already supplied. More on flash diffusers here.
Snoots: these are tubular constructions that concentrate light in a small circle. They are used to make concentrated spots of light. Some snoots have grids in them. More on snoots here.
Grids: much like snoots, but mostly shorter and because of this won't render the light as concentrated. They are often used to control spill light--that is prevent light where you don't want it. More on grids here.
Flags: flat pieces of black foam, metal, plastic or cardboard used to control spill light and create hard edges on your light.
Barn doors: Barn doors are a type of flags - one plate on each side of the flash, on two sides or all four. The plates can swing to adjust the border of light in all four directions - hence the name.
Filters or gels: translucent pieces of special plastic that changes the color of he light. Comes in many colors as well as neutral density (ND), which just dampen the light. Something more about filters here.
Gobos: modifiers cut out in plastic or metal, meant to create patterns in the light. Windows and blinds are popular gobos, but other shapes are found too.
