Lightscoop

One of my favorite Christmas gifts this year was also one of the most inexpensive and simple gifts. The set of Lightscoops for my camera.

Lightscoops are a great alternative to an expensive external flash unit. If you shoot indoors a lot, even if you prefer natural light (like me), sometimes you just need the extra light your flash can provide. When you use your on camera pop-up flash, it can overwhelm your photos. With the Lightscoop attached, the light from your flash is bounced off the ceiling (or a wall), then back to your subject. This gets rid of the harsh flash side-effects, but still provides the light you need to get great photos.

The Lightscoop is just a simple attachment that slides into your camera's hot-shoe and sits in front of your pop up flash. It has a mirrored surface to reflect the flash:

(image from google images)

Here are a couple of examples that I snapped real fast yesterday to show what the Lightscoop can do...

This first image of Oscar was taken with only the pop-up flash. The poor little guy is blinded by the brightness, the photo is really washed out and has harsh shadows. It doesn't make for a very nice photo at all.

This next photo was taken with the Lightscoop attached. I didn't really edit at all, so it's a little dark, but you can see the difference easily. You get a nice, crisp image without the harsh shadows and possible temporary blindness :) I also like the catch lights (in the eyes) that the Lightscoop/Flash combo helps to create.

Again, this next image was taken with the pop-up flash only. Notice how it's washed out.

The next one was taken with the Lightscoop attached. A much more attractive photo since it's not so overwhelmed by the flash.

Overall I think the Lightscoop is a great investment for someone that's not ready, or doesn't have the funds, to purchase an external flash unit. As much as I'd like one, natural light is what I'd prefer. The Lightscoop is just an aid to help out when flash might be necessary and a good aid at that! I received the combo Lightscoop pack, with the Standard and Warming (amber colored glass) units.

If you'd more information or would like to purchase your own Lightscoop - this is where mine came from: http://www.lightscoop.com/index.html