Diffusion Dome

This little piece of plastic is one of the greatest inventions ever made for flash photography. Its purpose is to diffuse the light from the flash and force it to spread all around the scene and subject. I use a diffusion dome whenever I photograph events and don’t have time to set up more elaborate lighting equipment. I also use it for macro photography, portraits, and just about everything else under the sun.

The proper way to use a diffusion dome is to place it on the flash and then point the flash head upward about 45 degrees (figures 7.24 and 7.25). This allows the dome to do its job by sending light all around the room. I frequently use it in conjunction with a flash bracket (figure 7.26) to minimize the effect of the shadow.