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Flash photography – ACE of bounce

Jul 23, 2007 by Udi Tirosh Add Comment

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ace of bounceStep right up, young man, my lady. Come photographers – You are about to see some card magic that will leave you amazed. This very special card magic was thought to me by the Harry Potter himself ancient wizards of Tibet, passed on from generation to generation (from when flash photography was invented). You may say it is a slight of hands, an illusions of the eye, distraction of the mind. But I tell you NO, my friends this is true magic. It is called “The ACE of Bounce”.

Now, does anyone in the audience has a card deck, any card deck will do. Yes sir, step right up. Please tell me where did you by this deck? At your usual K-mart, I see. is there anything special about this very regular Bicycle deck of card? No you say, well let us see.

Does anybody in the audience has a hot shoe flash. Not so common to hold in your pocket, I know. But surely one of you photographers must have one. Yes, yes, you journalist in the back with your SB-28. step right up please.

Let me assure you, there is nothing up my sleeve, just this usual-every-day rubber band. Now watch as I transform this hot shoe flash to a bouncing machine. What is that, my young snapshooter? Why do I need to bounce, you ask. Well this magic bounce will reduce red-eye, eliminate annoying shadows, produce magnificent catch light. Not to mention cure headaches, angry stomach and bad teeth.

Now I need a volunteer. Some brave (wo)man who is not afraid from light. Yes my dear. come this way please. Now pick a card. Any card. The ace of spades, I see. now watch as I use this plain rubber band to attach it to the flash head. Now, watch closely as I first attach the band to the flash. See how I place it close to the top of the head. Now, I place the card…. (audience gasp). BEHOLD!!!

ace of bounce - on hte back of the flash

The card it attached to the back of the flash producing a nice bounce. Now watch as I say the magic words and move the card to the side of the flash and give the flash a swivel. AVRA KEDAVRA! Potter himself could not have done it better.

ace of flash - swivel on the side

Want more? See this ordinary piece of paper – I can attach this to my flash too. and create the same affect. HAHAHAHAHA. Now, I shall take pictures of all of you!!!! HAHAHAHA.

Now for a bit of ace explanation – any card will do the trick here, but, the ace of spades or the ace of clubs are the cards with no red color and allot of white surface. A pure gain. As I told my audience before, there is no need to use a card, you can use a sheet of paper, a cardboard or anything white that you can attach you your flash with a rubber band.

So, why not use the built-in bounce card? I can think of two reasons: 1. those fragile things tend to get broken and 2. you get more bounce “footage” with a bigger card.

Want more? visit this magical place for even greater magic. Be warned, though, he who bounces with a better card shall make bouncier photos…… you may also want to check this bouncer – a little more work, but better magic.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

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Filed Under: DIY, Tutorials Tagged With: bounce, flash, misc and gear

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.net

About Udi Tirosh

Udi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

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Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

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David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

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