Macro Flash in the field: Soft Box diffuser or Sto-fen Diffuser

I'm about to embark on a 3 year mission of photographing all the wildflower species in Rocky Mountain National Park for a private project.

My current set up is a wimberley head, with wimberley macro flash arm, Nikon SB-600 with sto-fen white diffuser accompanied by my D300 with a Sigma 150mm f2.8 with cable release, and a 22 inch diffuser disk to bounce natural light to help fill in shadows.

I've notice a lot of folks posting great macro's using a soft box, and I wonder how a soft box flash set up would differ in appearance from a flash with a standard sto-fen diffuser. Would a soft box about 3x6 produce more even lighting?

Hey Jared, I've never had much luck with flash systems and do very well just using natural light. I do use diffusers to shade against harsh sunlight and a sivler or gold reflector to bounce a little light where needed. Hopefully some of the other macro shooters here can give you more help about the flash set ups. Good luck on your project.

You might consider the Nikon wireless twin-light system.

Oh, and you'll want to get a Wimberley "Plamp." :)

Diffusion devices are a hot topic in the wedding industry. My wife owns and has used just about every diffusion device out there, including the sto-fen diffuser. Currently, she likes the Lightsphere by Gary Fong. It appears to produce the softest light of all she's tried. I've used it on a few macro shots as well and like it better than the twin light system or ring lights.

The lightshpere does seem to work fairly well. I have one for my 550EX. If only there wasn't Gary Fong's attitude, personality, and price attached to his products...... :)

There's no reason you can't make a cheap softbox yourself just to try it out. Look here for one. You could probably find other plans if you search.

I recommend doing testing before you start. I used a Sto-Fen, white plastic sheet, G-fong lumisphere, index card, empty isoprol alcohol bottle, everything I could think of. The best result with the softest light and best combination of cost and size for me? I homemade diffuser cut out of a $1.99 white plastic sheet similar to the link in Dbosteo's post. I used it with a single SB-R200 wireless flash. I would recommend using wireless. In my experience over the last 6-7 years using DSLRs, the biggest inconsistencies with flash has been with off shoe cords. They usually fall apart in a week or 2 or consistent use. I went wireless this year and will never go back.
Here is a link for some macro shots that I have posted with the SB-R200 and diffuser if interested.

Robert

Hi Jared,
just to mention another possibility there is also a special macro flash from Novoflex, the "flash art". It's pricey, though...
I have used it last year for three days on a macro workshop, and was pretty amazed about the light quality. I could imagine this being a great tool for your endeavor.
No TTL, though :-)
Christof

Sto-fen Diffuser any day!!

Jared I'm with Mike Have the best images with a diffuser and bounce light when needed One big advantage you can shoot all day (with sun)

I use a tripod to hold my round diffuser and also have a larger rectangular unit with two bases

Light quality is directly related to the size of the source relative to the subject. Soft boxes, diffussers, etc increase the size of the source, a stofen omni-bounce does not. Moreover, much of the light is directed away from the intended subject.

Best,

Chas

Jared,

Since this is a 3-year project, I assume you can give yourself AND your client some time to experiment and evaluate so you both agree on the kind of lighting you like best and which approaches work under various conditions.

Personally, I find Mike's system of a diffuser and a silver or gold reflector very efficient. I also use a plamp because wind is an inevitable companion.

There are also times when I use flash with the current Gary Fong lumisphere with with velcro strap. I use that for lots of indoor work so I also carry it in the field. For some macro work I use a twin-head flash (Canon MT24 EX). I like having some choices, but I also think experimenting so you really know what you want and what you will get with each system is important. I would guess that your sense of what works best will continue to evolve as you get into your project and look at your images.