Macro DIY flash diffuser

[Ade G]

Following a visit to a new friend, Alf who does a lot of Macro (check out his Flikr page does some V nice stuff https://www.flickr.com/photos/32457074@N07/ ) Uses Olympus 4/3rds for most of it.

I have made a flash diffuser which seems to work pretty well. I have added to this a flat flash bracket and a (cheap JJC) TTL lead so I can now produce side light instead/as well as using the flash mounted ontop of the camera.

The diffuser is just a Pringles (crisps) tube with a food carton on the end. The pringles tube is silver paper lined as standard so directs all the light to the end. I then taped some thin opaque foam (packing foam) across the end. The whole lot taped up with gaffer tape. Held onto the flash with a little electrician tape (comes off easy & doesn't leave sticky marks on your flash!)

The figure is for scale etc only when the correct distance from the subject places the front of the flash just to the side of the subject.

Strangely insects etc are not bothered by this contraption & it hides your face which does seem to frighten them (or is it just my face LoL)

What is any one else using flash with diffusers? or No flash (high ISO?)

This allows me to use f16 125sec with flash (canon 430ex11) on manual at 1/2 to full power & gives a reasonable DoF (within Macro terms)

[Nigel G]

Nice improvisation

[sassan]

Nice job.
I assume the images are well done however would be good to share a few sample images.
I don't do macro as much as I would like to, but yes I have experience with flash and birds, and they mostly even won't show a reaction to it except some few species such as Hummingbirds that are quite sensitive to flash light.