Getting Soft, Diffused Light with Flash, Part 1

If you’re shooting your weddings with a flash indoors, you’re likely to get harsh shadows and unflattering, flat light, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The trick for getting soft, diffused light from your built-in flash without those harsh, hard shadows is to get a flash diffuser (a translucent sheet that fits over your flash to make the light softer and diffused). If you have a built-in pop-up flash on your digital camera, you can use something like LumiQuest’s Soft Screen Diffuser (which runs around $13), or if you have an external flash unit, take a look at the Westcott Micro Apollo Softbox, which sells for around $36, attaches over your flash unit, and does a great job of softening the light and dispersing it evenly. This will make a big difference in the quality of the light that falls on your bride, groom, and bridal party, and you’ll get much more professional results for a very small investment.