Two "on-camera" Flash Setups

[rpcrowe]

Someone (sorry but, I forgot who it was and where the request was asked) recently asked me to post an illustration of the flash setups that I frequently use. However, I cannot find the request so I am posting this under a separate thread.

This is my setup for outdoor fill flash, especially when I want to shoot portraits with my 70-200mm f/4L IS lens. This is a camera-flip bracket which allows me to switch from horizontal to vertical camera position with the flash remaining over the lens. I could use the tripod ring to mount the camera/lens to the bracket and rotate the camera using the ring but, this is (IMO) more secure and better balanced.

I seldom use a diffuser outdoors.



I like this specific bracket since the solid bar on which I mount the flash is sturdy enough to use as a handle to carry the rig. It also has a cold shoe to the side of the bar on which I could (if desired) mount a slave flash...

For walk-around use, I will often select the Canon 420EX flash rather than my 600EX RC flash because the 420EX is considerably lighter in weight. Every extra ounce at the beginning of a long shooting day seems like it weighs a pound at the end of the day

I usually shoot in aperture priority with the flash in TTL and HSS so the lack of manual capability with the 420EX doesn't impede my shooting and since most portraits are shot from fairly close, the lower power of the 420EX doesn't bother me even in HSS mode.

I use a remote flash cable to trigger my flash on my 5D2 and even with my 7D camera which has the capability of triggering a slave from the built-in flash. That master/slave method of triggering can be chancy in bright lighting situations while the flash is mounted on a bracket...

Below is my general indoor rig with the flash mounted on the camera hotshoe and equipped with a generic diffuser-reflector (a Chinese knockoff of the Joe Demb FlipIt Flash diffuser). I can use the reflector straight up or tilt it forward to increase the reflective efficiency but, resulting in slightly harsher (although still flattering) lighting. I have reinforced the supplied Velcro fastener with gaffer's tape in this case because the Chinese knockoff is not made as well as my original Joe Demb FlipIt reflector/diffuser.



If I want to shoot portraits of people or dogs indoors using a single flash, I will attach the flash and FlipIt Diffuser to the bracket and bounce the flash with the reflector portion straight up. This gives pretty nice lighting, for people or dogs, especially for a run-and-gun setup.





BTW: the 70-200mm f/4L IS is my go-to portrait lens for both people and dogs. I use it on both my crop (7D) and full frame (5D Mk2) cameras...

[Shadowman]

Nice setup, for a second there I thought you were going to show two flashes on one camera. I have that type of setup, it's a macro flash unit (R1C1) that can attach up to four flashes. Joe McNally has a similar setup where he has up to eight flashes on a tripod, good for night action shots.

[rpcrowe]

Actually, John...

As I mentioned, I could add a slave flash at the cold shoe on the side of this bracket. That would work fine indoors or might work in certain outdoor situations when the subject was up close and the slave triggered from the light reflecting back from the subject...

I have a link somewhere to using a pair of flash units mounted fairly low on a monopod and used to shoot night football games. The advantage to this method is that the flash fired from a low position doesn't blind the players.

[ionian]

Interesting to see how others do it Richard. I've not seen the camera flip bracket before, it looks like a useful piece of kit. I'm a recent convert to strobist.com so it's all about off camera light and small brollies for me at the moment! However, I shot a couple of events recently and used a very similar set up to your second rig - bounce flash and a fill card.

[rpcrowe]

Simon, the camera flip bracket is (IMO) superior to the flash-flip bracket when bouncing flash off the ceiling because when switching from horizontal position to vertical camera position, the flash needs to be re-positioned with the flash flip bracket...



With the camera flip bracket, the flash stays in proper bounce position for both horizontal and vertical shooting...



The bracket in the illustration above is a combination camera and flash-flip bracket. The bracket I presently use has a solid flash bar which can be used as a handle for the rig.

I also have a bracket that can include a small brollie (used behind me with the open side of the brollie pointed front) with the flash firing backwards into the brollie which then bounces it forward (is that understandable) I can also use a small (270EX-II) fill slave flash attached to the bracket firing directly forward, Nice lighting but the problem is that this rig is quite clumsy and hard to maneuver through a crowd. The bad thing also about using a light activated slave when there are other photographers using flash in the area is that someone else's flash may fire your slave....

[DanK]

I routinely use a Demb flip-it like you do, but I often mount it on the flash head turned sideways (as Demb recommends), which makes it possible to to aim the flash at the ceiling when the camera is in portrait orientation too. I use your configuration when the subject is distant enough that I would rather have the bounce at an angle rather than vertical. I also often put a Demb diffuser on the front. I sometimes have used a stofen instead of the Demb diffuser, but I honestly don't know if that makes much difference.

[rpcrowe]

I also usually shoot with a Demb unit and mount it on the side of the flash so that it will work in both the horizontal and vertical positions.



This was supposed to be a quicky posting and I had misplaced my Demb Flash Diffuser Pro. So I used this unit.

The Chinese knock-off is not as versatile and cannot be used on the side of a flash tube as well as can the Demb unit... In fact, the Chinese version is starting to fall apart - hence the gaffer's tape reinforcement.