These images are straight out of camera, with no adjustments made. First, let's take a look at the diffuser:
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Both images taken at f/8, 1/200s, Speedlite 480 EXII on ETTL mode. ISO 100
I'm kind of torn on this one. I did a few shots at varying exposures but got similar results. The light certainly appears less harsh, but then, it seems to be very similar to just stopping down the FlashEV by a full stop. It'd probably be easier (and softer) to just hold a piece of sandwich paper over the flash, rather than make a unit that attaches to the flash itself. Also worth noting that my diffuser doesn't really allow for spreading, so this test is a full on direct-light hit. There are better diffusion materials out there. If I'd seriously consider using a diffuser for direct hits (which I should) then I'd probably build something a little better :) After all, this was only a spur of the moment thing I made without any research or preparation. Now, let's check out that reflector
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What a difference! I was completely able to light up the right side of the flowers, which otherwise would have been shadowed. I've never actually used a reflector before, so it took a bit of getting used to, trying to find the light and then direct that onto the flower. It's worth noting, that it's actually better to step back a little bit and not hold the reflector so close. It directs light more strongly than you'd give it credit for. I can definitely see myself using this a lot more, at least inside. The light reflection is quite small and focused, probably because of the size of the reflector and a few crinkles in the aluminum foil. Either way, I am quite happy with it for a 10 minute job :)
It's also worth noting, that trying to bounce the flash off the reflector is a terrible idea. Not only was it difficult to get the flash to bounce in the way I wanted it to, the light spread out quite a lot but had certain parts that were very intense silvery lines. My next project is going to be a portable flash bouncer and I'll probably use some pure white matte poster board for that - I'll need to do a little bit of research :)
In conclusion, I had quite a bit of fun making the two things. The diffuser is a bit duff, I'll have to make something better. The reflector is quite nice for illuminating small things, but I'd need something bigger and with less imperfections if I want to use it for larger shots (e.g. portraits), and I'll need to get some poster board to make a portable flash bouncer. I'd highly recommend doing some creative DIY like this, it's very fun and quite rewarding. Best of all, you can make stuff with things you almost certainly have lying around your house!
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