Gary Fong LIGHTSPHERE

[ShaneB]

Gidday

Anyone have any experience with this gear?

I'm going to need some wedding shots in July, and something that works better than bounce flash would be an asset.

TIA

[ricktas]

i don't have one, but have seen one in use, and the resultant wedding photos. Works brilliantly, you just look like an idiot (hehe)

[ShaneB]

i don't have one, but have seen one in use, and the resultant wedding photos. Works brilliantly, you just look like an idiot (hehe)

Thanks Rick.

That wouldn't be a problem - I'm used to that!

[NickMonk]

Ya they are very good. I use mine all the time for people shots and excellent results at weddings. Expensive for what they are, but good results.

[kiwi]

Lost mine

Might be getting used for a salad mixer by now

It was good, but I know prefer the Aurora Lite Softboxes I recently bought from Kayell

[JM Tran]

highly recommended from me too, works better than the smaller and more portable omni bounce on the 580EXII

the lightsphere will diffuse light to give it a softer feel to the photos compared to what I have used, as well as throws out more light around the room

only problem is that its good for weddings and anything that is not photojournalism, due to the size and the look on ppls faces

[latino]

Yeah might be getting one of these when I purchase my SB600. Does the flash need to be adjusted so it is facing the ceiling as a bounce or does it work well and diffuse well enough when used directly on the subject?

I've also heard that it can be heavy and possibly bad for the flash and flash bracket if used in the direct flash position?

Any opinions?

[kiwi]

To use you typically just point your flash directly at the ceiling and mount the lightsphere on top. It spreads the light much like a lamp. You can "point" it also for a different more direct light. I think Gary has a few videos on his website that goes through all that.

I've never heard of it damaging the flash at all, it's not that heavy

[JM Tran]

I've also heard that it can be heavy and possibly bad for the flash and flash bracket if used in the direct flash position?

nope not heavy at all, does not put any strain on the flash or anything, weighs maybe like 200grams!

[Bax]

Another one in favour of it here. I got the cloudy.

It works ridiculously good, but for the price, being two pieces of cheap plastic.... I still recommend it however.

And agreed about it making you look like an idiot. A dslr with a big lens, 580ex and lightsphere on it, you may as well be holding a microwave in front of your face.

[MarkChap]

Great bit of Kit,

You will get a DVD with the unit that runs through the how and why, but generally you use it with out the lid and point it up and bounce when inside and use it with the lid and direct when out side.

Creates very good soft all round light

I got mine from Stu at Quality Camera Sales as the freight was way cheaper than buying direct from Gary Fong

[ShaneB]

Thanks everyone.

Sounds like the way to go.

Regards

[smorter]

I think it is a waste of money.

Gidday

Anyone have any experience with this gear?

I'm going to need some wedding shots in July, and something that works better than bounce flash would be an asset.

TIA

The Gary Fong does not work better than bounce flash

I may not be the best photographer in the world, but prior to starting Weddings I worked in excess of 50 indoor photography events (corporate functions, parties etc) and there is nothing I have ever used that is as nice and practical as bare bounce flash

I tried Sto-Fen Omnibounce (too harsh, useless)
I tried Demp Flipits (Useful if you can't bounce, but didn't do much if you could bounce the light)
I tried a Gary Fong (Unless if you can just bounce)
Homemade Diffusers (useless)

The biggest issue is they make you look silly, the second biggest issue is that they don't do anything that bare bounce flash can't

Anytime you see someone with a Gary Fong you can usually be sure they don't know how to use bounce flash properly

[Buddah]

The biggest issue is they make you look silly, the second biggest issue is that they don't do anything that bare bounce flash can't

Lol! I have to agree. If you (or your wedding photographer) want to look silly, I'll give you my home-made jobbie, Shane. Will probably give you the same results as the GFL.

Put the money you save into something nice for Linda.

[kiwi]

Yeah but what if you can't bounce the flash ?

[Bax]

Well I'm going to disagree here. Of course I don't have the prior experience and qualifications that you possess in the field of portraiture and wedding shots.

But, as you've said in your original post if you can't bounce due to no ceiling, then it's already plus 1 point to the Lightsphere.

If you do have a ceiling, high/low, white/wooden/coloured, all of the variables that come into bouncing. I guess most of which you can get by via post processing, but I shall continue. The lightsphere with one shot, can get guaranteed, effortless results.

As a newbie to strobe work in general, I found that bounce left me with too many shadows under the eyes/nostrils/neck. Even when using the bounce card that came with the camera, I'd get similar results. Once again maybe you can suggest ways to avoid this?
But I found that if I just clipped on the lightsphere I could close my eyes and get good results. It's really effortless and that's what I like about it.

Yes, it does look a little stupid, but are we really worried about that? One of the first things I learnt was not to care what people are thinking, just go out and do what you have to do.

[JM Tran]

As a newbie to strobe work in general, I found that bounce left me with too many shadows under the eyes/nostrils/neck. Even when using the bounce card that came with the camera, I'd get similar results. Once again maybe you can suggest ways to avoid this?
But I found that if I just clipped on the lightsphere I could close my eyes and get good results. It's really effortless and that's what I like about it.

its a good compromise to having no flash bracket, which is fundamental to remove shadows under features and in the background. As some time during the 70s photographers found that by mounting the flash a few inches above the camera, they could get rid of shadows much much better than ever before, hence the flash bracket became a common tool for wedding and event photography

the Lightsphere on the other hand, can do that effectively but not as good, but its a lot more portable and lighter than an unwieldy flash bracket and sync cord

[smorter]

Yeah but what if you can't bounce the flash ?

The Gary Fong Lightsphere is a Bounce Modifier though... you should only be using it when you can bounce

And if you aren't using it when bouncing...well the laws of physics state that softness of light is dependent of size of light source and distance to subject. The former is the more relevant point, and with the relative size increase of the Fong Dong over a flash head, you might as well use a 10c piece of A5 cardboard taped behind your flash...that would give better results and likely won't cut down on range as bad as the Fong Dong.

Well I'm going to disagree here. Of course I don't have the prior experience and qualifications that you possess in the field of portraiture and wedding shots.

Hi Bax, I don't have any qualifications...well none that count in photography Sorry I didn't mean to sound conceited, just trying to give more credibility to my opinions because there were generally positive comments that I wanted to refute.

But, as you've said in your original post if you can't bounce due to no ceiling, then it's already plus 1 point to the Lightsphere.

No I never said that.

And in any case, if you can't bounce, you can't use the Lightsphere (or at least, there's no point using the Lightsphere because it is a bounce modifier)

If you do have a ceiling, high/low, white/wooden/coloured, all of the variables that come into bouncing. I guess most of which you can get by via post processing, but I shall continue. The lightsphere with one shot, can get guaranteed, effortless results.

I disagree here, the Gary Fong is a bounce modifier, meaning that it is designed to act as a bit of fill whilst the primary light is still coming from bounce flash. Any issues you have from bouncing without a Gary Fong, will still exist if you bounce with a Gary Fong, though to a slightly lesser extent because the Gary Fong will send some direct flash to the subject, so the colour cast will be slightly reduced as the relative intensity of the light reflected off a wooden or coloured wall/ceiling would be lower. And also bouncing off the ceiling is very ineffective and inefficient.

As a newbie to strobe work in general, I found that bounce left me with too many shadows under the eyes/nostrils/neck. Even when using the bounce card that came with the camera, I'd get similar results. Once again maybe you can suggest ways to avoid this?
But I found that if I just clipped on the lightsphere I could close my eyes and get good results. It's really effortless and that's what I like about it.

How are you bouncing? Are you pointing your flash straight up to the ceiling? If so, don't.

I don't do much indoor events anymore, but here are some examples from my earlier work (mostly last year so a bit old and noisy). These are all plain bounce flash, and there's no nasty eye, nostril and neck shadows (that I can detect).



To avoid it, you just have to point your flash slightly behind you so that light comes from the back hitting their faces front on

Yes, it does look a little stupid, but are we really worried about that? One of the first things I learnt was not to care what people are thinking, just go out and do what you have to do.

I wish I had your self confidence, but the issue that I've found is that it damages your credibility in the eyes of the client and other professionals if their image of you is impaired by you looking a bit odd. Having said that though, there are worse things than a Fong Dong (e.g. homemade bottle over the flash)

Lol! I have to agree. If you (or your wedding photographer) want to look silly, I'll give you my home-made jobbie, Shane. Will probably give you the same results as the GFL.

Put the money you save into something nice for Linda.

This is so true, you can do as good with a piece of white foam stuck behind your flash.

I personally think the Gary Fong Lightsphere is money down the drain. It does its job of providing forward fill, but so does a 10c piece of paper or a $1 piece of foam, or wrapping a large piece of bubble wrap around the flash, or using a homemade device. If you ask about this on FM or something, you'll people blasting the product which makes my reservations about it look ultra tame.

One question that begs to be asked is that if it was a good product, why didn't any of the photographers at Gary Fong's wedding use it? (And there were a LOT there...)

[arthurking83]

I'm just thinking about it's ability and what it's supposed to do, and can't help but think that it should kind of do the same thing as the white flip out card you may have on your uber external flash??

I placed should in italics, because I've never used a third party diffuser of any kind, let alone the Gary Fong version, but I do use that lil white card when I bounce as it projects enough light forward of the flash even though the flash is pointing towards the ceiling.

Of course I am assuming all external flashes have that flip out lil white card to assist with bounce flash.

[JM Tran]

One question that begs to be asked is that if it was a good product, why didn't any of the photographers at Gary Fong's wedding use it? (And there were a LOT there...)

lol thats cos everyone there who is a photographer was a guest and a friend

and what Gary did was set them to concentrate on one aspect of photography

one friend shot in monochrome, one in B&W, one in IR, one in velvia slides, and so on

everyone was there for fun not for work, and to use the groom's product at his own wedding, feels a bit weird dont u think? haha