subject: The Photography Diffuser - For Better Photography! [print this page] The Photography Diffuser - For Better Photography!
The photography diffuser is one of the most effective pieces of equipment a shooter can possess! They can smooth out wrinkles, spread the light, help us manage our shadows and tone down those harsh contrasts! They really are indispensable!
First...what exactly is a photography diffuser?
You will find a few different types of photo equipment that may be considered a diffuser. You could potentially wipe a little Vaseline on the lens - it's diffusing light that goes into the camera and could be referred to as a photography diffuser. Or, you could possibly have a cloud passing by in front of the sun and THAT TOO can be labeled a diffuser!
For the purposes of this article, we'll imagine anything put upon the lens as being a filter and everything put in front of the light source as a diffuser.
As I said, a cloud could be a diffuser...
Imagine the sun. In relation to our size, it really is just a very small item way up there in the sky. In view of the fact that it is very bright, nonetheless small, it results in some pretty harsh, black shadows.
Picture a white puffy cloud hovering in front of the sun...What takes place?
Now the daylight is hitting the rear of the cloud and bouncing far and wide! As the - diffused - light comes through the cloud, it's now turned the complete cloud into an enormous diffused light source.
While our light has become diffused, you'll find it softer and less intense. And in view of the fact that the light source is far bigger, the light tends to wrap all-around our subject and reduce or even almost eradicate the shadows!
That is a photography diffuser and ALL diffusers operate on the identical principle.
Now envision a studio strobe lighting system.
We do not generally have clouds hanging around in the photo studio therefore how can we diffuse our lights?
Easy! Simply put a quantity of translucent material in front of the light.
Maybe you have noticed photographers shooting their light through umbrellas? That's a diffuser. Diffusers might be known as umbrellas, softboxes, screens and dozens of other names based upon the shape and materials they may be made of.
But, if you think of a photography diffuser as nothing more than a imitation cloud, you shouldn't have any difficulty understanding how they work and when they must be used.
