When taking pictures with direct light--either via camera flash or stand alone studio lights--you'll frequently find the light in your photos is quite harsh. Direct light creates bright glare on shiny subjects, and it creates dark, harsh shadows as well. This is particularly displeasing for people photos, but these problems can be fixed with any photography subject by using a diffuser. Photo diffusers help spread and soften the light, and there are several ways to make your own for little to no cost. Here are two approaches.
Flash Diffuser
The built in flash on a camera is notorious for creating very dark, harsh shadows, causing bright glare on shiny faces or surfaces, and creating red-eye in people's pictures. Resolving this issues is as simple as using a flash diffuser to help spread and soften the light thrown out from the flash.
To create your own flash diffuser, you'll need a small cardboard box, some tape and some diffusing material such as tissue paper or lightweight fabric.
The cardboard box you use needs to be slightly larger and taller than your on camera flash so that it can be fit down over the top of it. If you don't have a small enough box, make a rectangular one yourself by cutting rectangular pieces of cardboard and taping them together at the size you need.
Cut a hole in one of the smaller sides of your box that is just large enough to fit snugly over your camera's flash head. Next, cut a hole in one of the longer sides--high enough up to match where your camera flash bulb is--leaving some of the box intact underneath this hole to provide strength in the diffuser.
Be sure to create the front hole long and wide enough to not block the camera flash when it fires.
Tape, glue or staple your paper or cloth diffusing material over the front hole and you're finished. To use this diffuser, simply sit it down over top of the flash on your camera, with the diffuser material side facing front.
Frame Diffuser
Making a photo diffuser to use with standard lamps, bulbs or studio lights is very simple to do as well. You can also make this design with cardboard, or use an empty photo frame for more durable results.
Picture frames work well for making small photo diffusers, but they may be too heavy or bulky for creating large ones.
To make a picture frame diffuser, simply find or buy a picture frame and remove the glass and backing. Lay fabric such as white satin across the frame and start taping or glueing it into place. Pull the fabric taut as you glue it to the frame to prevent wrinkles and sagging.
To make this diffuser with cardboard simply cut a window out of a piece of cardboard for an instant frame, or cut strips of cardboard 1 to 2 inches wide and tape, glue or staple them together into a frame shape. Spread thin tissue paper or wax paper over the frame, and pull it flat as you tape, staple or glue it into place against the frame.
Tags: diffuser, camera flash, your camera, your camera flash, bright glare, bright glare shiny, dark harsh, dark harsh shadows, diffuser simply, diffuser with, diffusing material, down over, front hole, glare shiny
