As a budding photographer, you probably have at several digital SLRs and multiple lenses and an Olympus Flash. Although you probably take most of your pictures during the daytime, you do, or will eventually, take some in low-light scenarios, like bars and lounges.
Because of this, using an Olympus Flash with your Olympus camera is important, as is learning how to use it properly. There are times when not using a flash works, but it is generally an important addition to your photography equipment.
Your on-camera flash is easy to use, but creates a problem. On my Olympus E-510, the on-camera flash is fundamentally poor. As a result, I purchased an Olympus Flash FL-50, which has greatly strengthened my photography technique.
Unfortunately, this Olympus flash is still too harsh and results in sharp shadows, which does not result in images I showing other people. As an example, if you snap a picture of a person standing up on a wall, the flash can create a dark shadow on the wall, which makes the person look bigger than they really are. It was time to get a flash diffuser, and my sto-fen omnibounce is now always stuck to my flash. It is a little white box that is perfect for spreading the light around.
Flash Diffuser to the Rescue
Before I purchased a diffuser, my external flash was too bright.
What the flash diffuser does is „diffuse“ the light. It spreads the flash light around so that it will not hit your subject immediately. By spreading the light, it also creates a more natural touch, which is great to have with flashes. Furthermore, it enables you to give your image a softer look without reducing the flash power. This aids with any fill flash issues you may have previously had.
Buying a Flash Diffuser
As I previously mentioned, I have an omnibounce diffuser, which does a more professional job than the diffuser with my Olympus FL-50. There exist also larger diffusers as well that can be used with your Olympus Flash.
The author is a experienced photographer, and tries different techniques to improve the effect of his Olympus Flash.