Indoor Scenes | Dance Floor: Shot with Bounce Flash

When ceilings in indoor venues are low enough and bright enough to use bounce flash, by all means, use it. Beware, however, that bounce flashed images can look boring if the moment captured is not exciting or full of subjects. This is because bounce flash creates super clean lighting, which is often bright enough to whitewash a scene; it is probably not be the way to go if you’re trying to capture a dramatic looking image.

Our approach to photographing receptions or events with bounce flash:

• Expose for ambient light
• Shutter speed set to 1/50-1/160
• Add flash
• Flash gel (to match dominant light)
• Bounce modifier (bowl, disc)
• Bounce back at angle
• Watch shutter speed
• Highlight alert is critical

Exposure goals for photographing receptions or events with bounce flash:

• Maximum dynamic range
• Bias: preserve shadows
• Temperature: 3200-4000K