Comparison

Both images (you can click on each to see a larger version) were taken with a Canon Rebel XT and a Canon 430EX speedlight. Settings were identical, except that in the photo on the left, the head of the speedlight was aimed at the ceiling ("bounce" flash) and in the photo on the right, the head of the speedlight was aimed directly at the subjects. While the tonal ranges are similar and both are properly exposed, I think the photo on the left looks better. No reflections off the glasses. No shadow behind the heads. And we humans naturally expect light to be coming from overhead (like the sun does) rather than from straight on.

The nice thing is that the camera automatically compensates for the bounce and calculates the exposure properly. When I first started, 30 years ago, my father bought me a Vivitar external flash to use with my Nikon FM. Both were fully manual. If one wanted to use bounce flash, one had to calculate the distance from the flash to the ceiling and from the ceiling to the subject and set the aperture based upon this distance, not on the lens-to-subject distance. I remember shooting tables my Mom had decorated for a party and having to calculate the distances. Back then, using film, I didn't have the instant feedback of seeing the photos on the screen on the back of the camera and had to wait until the film was developed to see if I calculated properly (I did).

I still have the Nikon FM and the Vivitar flash, and both still work. I have not used the FM in years, but I used the Vivitar back in October when Tom and I shot a couple of De La Salle football games on the Coolpix 5700. Had to use the camera in manual mode and set the aperture based upon the distance to subject, but it worked.

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