Lens hood and flash thoughts?

Airedrifter

I get hood shadows.

17/55 2.8.; 7D and 40D

I get them when I use the camera's flash. But I get them with a camera mounted flash and sometimes bounce flash. Particularly at wider angles...

I just quit using a hood when I'm using flash.

However, when I watch the news, I see all these photographers snapping flash shots at press conferences and the like for print and web news, virtually all of them are using hoods.

None of them ever zoom out a bit? Cross flash and TV light issues are that big?

Just pondering...

pathfinder

Most of the shadows of the lens and/or hood, are with the flash mounted on the camera and facing straight forward.

If the flash is pointed straight up, up and back, or left or right and bounced off a wall, then usually there will be no shadow.

A flash bracket that gets the flash higher and off the axis of the camera lens is the solution most wedding shooters use. Or hold the camera in one hand and the flash in the other with an off shoe cord or a wireless transmitter, ala Nikon CLS.

ziggy53

Airedrifter wrote:

I get hood shadows.

17/55 2.8.; 7D and 40D

I get them when I use the camera's flash. But I get them with a camera mounted flash and sometimes bounce flash. Particularly at wider angles...

I just quit using a hood when I'm using flash.

However, when I watch the news, I see all these photographers snapping flash shots at press conferences and the like for print and web news, virtually all of them are using hoods.

None of them ever zoom out a bit? Cross flash and TV light issues are that big?

Just pondering...

I do occasionally have an issue with a close-up shot and the lens hood shadow, even with an external flash but when it is oriented forward for a closeup.

For any normal event shooting distance it is not an issue.

I can't imagine a bounced flash situation that would cause a distinct shadow from the hood. A fill card can cause the shadow, but a scoop modifier is generally not a problem.

I always use the lens hood for event shooting. The hood protects the lens and, in the situation of multiple shooters with multiple flashes, it can prevent some flare and glare from the other flashes.