- · Harsh shadows?
- · Red-eye?
- · Unflattering hot spots on the skins?
No, these
aren’t diseases, but rather symptoms of on-camera flash. While on-camera flash
is handy and a no-brainer to use, it’s typically not the most flattering to
your subjects. And well…isn’t that what photography is all about…taking beautiful
photos of friends and family?
Well now
there’s help, thanks to Professor Kobre and his ultimately easy-to-use Lightscoop. If you’ve got a DSLR with
built-in flash (think Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Sigma, Sony, Olympus or Fuji) then
you are a candidate for the Lightscoop.
This little
plastic accessory slips in your camera-top hotshoe and by way of a mirror, reflects
your flash 90 degrees. The light can be bounced off a ceiling or wall to
provide a wide, soft, attractive illumination. Gone are the harsh shadows and
red-eye so often encountered.
To use the
light reflection capability to its best advantage, take the following steps:
- · Pump up your ISO to 800
- · Use your widest f-stop – f2.8 preferably
- · Set flash exposure to +1 or +2 if possible
- · Look for a 8’ or lower white ceiling
- · Alternatively, look for a white wall and shoot vertically
What you’ll
discover, is a softly lit portrait with none of those annoying hard shadows
just off to the side of your subjects face.
Andrew, a
photographer from North Royalton, tried out my Lightscoop and said he was very
satisfied with the immediate improvement. He liked the fact that it fit very
securely into his hotshoe and had no worries about it coming loose. He also liked the soft-touch protective pouch
that came with it. His biggest concern was finding a spot for it in his already
crowded camera bag.
You can order
a Lightscoop directly from the manufacture in one of two models – either standard
(clear mirror) or a warming type (with a tinted mirror) from the Lightscoop website. For $29.95
its one of the bigger bangs for the buck you’ll find in photography. $55 gets
you one of each.
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