why do people buy these things?

[Tom Reichner]

Pretty sure some people use them for catchlights in flat lighting scenes.

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Yes they do.

A friend of mine and his wife used to shoot wildlife, mostly large mammals like Deer and Bighorn Sheep and Elk, at a fair distance, with a flash on 1/32 or 1/64 power. It would give a wee bit of a warm glow to the subject that was barely noticeable, yet nice - a small improvement over just ambient light alone. And of course it would put a catchlight reflection in the eye(s) of the subject that would often not have been there otherwise. Just the gentlest and most subtle tiny little kiss of light that made their images a bit better than the images taken by others who were not using flash.

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[gonzogolf]

Bending the rogue into a curve would help with the catchlights and redirect a portion of the light as a kicker. I wouldnt count on it much outside but it can be quite effective in a church with high ceilings or a conference room. Im shooting my first wedding in a couple years and Ive picked up an r5 recently, with the fantastic ISO performance i suspect the flash at the reception will be mostly to fill in eye socket shadow and a kick of highlight. I'll probably bring the rogue out of retirement if I can find it for that very purpose. A white card will work in a pinch but it can look a bit ghetto.

 

[Ltdave]

Catchlight from a 7 foot modifier…
View attachment 110391

not a big umbrella but a small constant light (for photography). i forgot the brand