To save the thread - my low tech diffusion

[Ecc233]

This is partly to prevent the thread dying as a placeholder, and mainly because I have spent at least a decade refining my diffusion for macro photography. I do mainly macro in the field, without tripod and usually in some ungainly and painful physical position. I have tried it all. Twin flash is great but it does not always work if you are trying to crawl between sharp thorn bushes. Big home made diffusers work exceptionally well ... except if you are trying to crawl between sharp thorn bushes. About four years ago, I started using a ring flash that I had modified with multiple layers of translucent paint and subsequently with white felt. This was great - and probably still the best technically - but nit rhe best if you were trying to crawl between sharp thorn bushes. And then in the COVID-19 time I found some self-adhesive felt pads designed for furniture in a local DIY shop. And a really cheap set (about 2 Euro) had a large 10 cm x 10 cm square. I put it in the front element of a simple flash - and it worked. Here is an example on a Godox, but I have tried it on many other types. Not as good as well-diffused twin flash, but a bloody site easier to use in the field and no need to worrry about the correct filter thread adaptor. Many examples on my SmugMug site .. but beware, all of the earlier iterations are also present!

Hope this helps someone seeking a good compromise.

 

[dannac]

What is a twin flash ?

 

[Ecc233]

Something like this

Amazon.com

It is designed to get caught in undergrowth. But the light quality can be amazing.

 

[West Coast Birder]

Interesting. It seems like the felt pad would be opaque, no? Does it let any light through?

 

[Ecc233]

Interesting. It seems like the felt pad would be opaque, no? Does it let any light through?

About 50% according to spectroscopy. Enough to do the job. But the sensor on the flash controls the light output. To be honest, the Godox is a bit iffy in that department, but the similarly modified HVL-F28RM works like a champ.

 

[West Coast Birder]

Cool idea. I’ll try it too when I get a chance to go to the hardware store. TFS!

 

[dannac]

Something like this

Amazon.com

It is designed to get caught in undergrowth. But the light quality can be amazing.

Thanks !

 

[dannac]

2 sheets 8.5 x 11 felt ( self adhere - peel stick )
1 black 1 white
2 velcro straps
Less than $5 ... already had the wire

You can see the outline of the wire placed between sheets
Flexible to bend the top over but stiff enough to hold in place.

 

[Anton Largiader]

Diffusion is, to me, an interesting subject. Some years ago I bought some cheap lampshades (with only an outer band of very gappy fabric) and was dismayed to see the bulb right through them. I lined them with parchment paper and it made a world of difference. I also used that paper to make outer lenses on some clamp-on reading lights that my girls use. I suspect that relatively little diffusion is really needed for good, even lighting, as long as it's in the right place in the light path. Maybe a little bit in two places, so the effects of the first one can spread a bit before being scattered again. It's nice to see perfectly even exposure across a softbox front, but is it really needed?

For something like the felt scoop shown in @dannac's post, as long as it didn't need to be reshaped, I would try* a much thinner diffusion layer - like gauze - over a reflective layer. Lose less of the power to absorption. For reshaping, though, as long as power isn't an issue, the felt & wire solution looks fantastic.

* since this is all experimentation!