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DIY Foam Flash Bounce

In photography, light is one of the most important factors that affect your photographs. Without enough light your photos will be too dark, and too much light causes your pictures to be washed out. Although natural light provides a soft glow on your subjects, it is not always readily available. For this reason, photographers make use of external flashes to create light. When you use an external flash, equip it with a handmade foam bounce card. Bounce cards help direct and diffuse light by bouncing it off a wall or ceiling and onto your subject.

Things You'll Need

Foam sheets (black and white)
Pencil
Scissors
Glue
Hook and loop fastener

Instructions

- 1
  Lay a sheet of white foam on a flat work surface and trace out the shape for your bounce card. A bounce card doesn̵7;t have to be a specific shape, as it is just going to be mounted behind your flash. Try to make your card resemble a stretched out letter ̶0;D̶1; with a flattened bottom edge.
- 2
  Cut out your bounce card and make an identical card out of black foam. Apply a bit of white glue on one of the pieces and glue them together so you have a white side and a black side.
- 3
  Lay your foam card on a cutting surface and use a utility knife to cut two small slits in the bottom of the card. This is where you will string your hook and loop fastener through in order to attach the card to the flash.
- 4
  Cut a 6-inch length of hook and loop fastener and pull the two pieces apart. Apply school glue to the back of the pieces and glue them together so the hook and loop fasteners face outward.
- 5
  Thread the hook and loop fastener through the slots in your bounce flash. Place the card on the camera̵7;s flash where you want to direct the light and wrap the fastener around the camera to hold it in place.

Photography