Who actually uses a flash bracket to shoot events?

Qarik

I hear that it helps to remove shadows. I have never had problems with shadows but perhaps it is becasue of my diffuser. (fong) I keep hearing that in portriat mode you are more prone to shadows..that has never been my experience either.

Yet many pros (I think) use them. What is the disconnect here? Adding a bracket just seems to add extra weight to an already heavy setup. Is the bracket advice directed primarily to those who use bare un bounced flash?

ziggy53

Ideally, a flash bracket allows several advantages. Lifting the flash is one advantage as it moves the shadows further down in the background. Lifting the flash also tends to produce better modelling of the shadows on the face.

A good bracket also allows the flash to be positioned above the lens regardless of the camera's landscape or portrait orientation.

I use a flash bracket for every event and I would insist that it does produce better light, visibly better.

Scott_Quier

Qarik wrote:

I hear that it helps to remove shadows. I have never had problems with shadows but perhaps it is becasue of my diffuser. (fong) I keep hearing that in portriat mode you are more prone to shadows..that has never been my experience either.

Yet many pros (I think) use them. What is the disconnect here? Adding a bracket just seems to add extra weight to an already heavy setup. Is the bracket advice directed primarily to those who use bare un bounced flash?

When I use on-camera flash, I always (now) use a bracket - even outdoors. I've skipped this in the past (even with a GF LS) and had the side shadow issue. And, I always bounce the flash when I'm indoors. It's either bounced off the ceiling, the walls, or (if the ceilings and walls are dark) off a light scoop (see my siggy for a link).

The disconnect you are perceiving may be that you have been lucky enough to be shooting folks that are far enough from background walls and/or the background is not a consistant color/reflectance that the shadows don't show so much. And, yes the bracket will add weight but when you are already shooting with something like a gripped 50D and a 70-200 f/2.8L IS, that little bit of weight is not, percentage wise, a huge increase in the total weight.

Wil Davis

ziggy53 wrote:

Ideally, a flash bracket allows several advantages. Lifting the flash is one advantage as it moves the shadows further down in the background. Lifting the flash also tends to produce better modelling of the shadows on the face.

A good bracket also allows the flash to be positioned above the lens regardless of the camera's landscape or portrait orientation.

I use a flash bracket for every event and I would insist that it does produce better light, visibly better.

Getting the flash away from the axis of the lens also helps to avoid "red-eye"…

- Wil

jeffreaux2

Wil Davis wrote:

Getting the flash away from the axis of the lens also helps to avoid "red-eye"…

- Wil

While this is true, Ive seen very few "red eye" results from a shoe mounted 580 speedlight....as it is undoubtedly tall enough on its own to at least nearly eliminate red eye.

I dont use a bracket......but then again......I dont shoot events with shoe mounted flash either, but rather use off camera flash mounted to a monopod.

Kmitch

jeffreaux2 wrote:

While this is true, Ive seen very few "red eye" results from a shoe mounted 580 speedlight....as it is undoubtedly tall enough on its own to at least nearly eliminate red eye.

I dont use a bracket......but then again......I dont shoot events with shoe mounted flash either, but rather use off camera flash mounted to a monopod.

I shoot kids basketball indoors. Sometimes in dark gyms. I use a rrs bracket with a 6 inch extender to get rid of the red eye. If I don't use the bracket and extender the red eye can be very pronounced. I am using a 580 speedlight also.

heatherfeather

I don't use one. My flash is either off camera or I avoid the portrait orientation like the plague.

I suppose at some point, I'll go ahead and bite the bullet, but for now this has worked for me and I have very little shadows.

Art Scott

ziggy53 wrote:

Ideally, a flash bracket allows several advantages. Lifting the flash is one advantage as it moves the shadows further down in the background. Lifting the flash also tends to produce better modelling of the shadows on the face.

A good bracket also allows the flash to be positioned above the lens regardless of the camera's landscape or portrait orientation.

I use a flash bracket for every event and I would insist that it does produce better light, visibly better.

<img src="https://us.v-cdn.net/6029383/emoji/15524779-Ti.gif&quot; border="0" alt="" > I'll add to what Ziggy said by adding my comment on a "good bracket".....a good bracket must be sturday enough to not twist as you are flipping the camera orentation<cite>.............also the camera must flip from landscape to portrait, not the flash,.............</cite>

I have been using sometype of bracket for neigh on 30 yrs............

Qarik

so i started looking through some photos I took to look for shadows. okay these are all shot with no bracket and with folks standing very close to walls...most are portrait style with fong sphere. In most I do see some shadows but I tend to think they are well within acceptable. A few at the bottom are borderline.











These are a bit borderline




hmmmm..interesting. I do see how it might help in certain situations. I am not convinced that it is worth it though wrt to weight and frequency of usefulness.

ziggy53

Art Scott wrote:

... also the camera must flip from landscape to portrait, not the flash...

The flash bracket I normally use, the Stroboframe Pro-T, is a simple hinge design and does require you to rotate the camera and flash, but I like the design as it allows me to "sweep" the flash to a position above and beside, similar to an old handle-bracket orientation. This allows some creative shadow positioning in, for instance, "very" low ceilings.

Here is an example:



This was shot in a tiny pastor's office and the need was for a very small image to be used in a flyer/program for a Boy Scout Eagle advancement ceremony. I think I used my XT/350D and Sigma flash on a Stroboframe Quick Flip in this instance. Bounce was not working and I also couldn't use a large diffuser so I think this is with a Demb Flip-It. The flash was rotated to throw the shadows off to the side making very clear edges that would hold up to the small sizes they wanted to use. (Thumbnails)

Alternately, they wanted a group shot for newspaper publication at a fairly good size and also for regular printing. For that application I used a short step ladder and 2 flashes in something somewhat like a butterfly lighting. The fill flash (direct flash) was resting on top of the step ladder, under the lens, and I held the key light above by hand, using a scoop reflector for that flash. The fill was at least 2 stops under the key, maybe even less. (Don't remember.)



They kind of threw this at me with no notice and I was 3 hours from home so no chance getting any better lighting and modifiers. I was lucky to have brought what I had.