Cheap Trick

After my very first photography class, I mentioned how overwhelmed I was, not only by how much I had to learn, but also by the gear and software (i.e. $) required to take my photos to the next level.  It is very easy to get caught up in the latter, but I have to keep taking a step back and reminding myself that I still need so much more practice, practice, practice before I think about investing in the fancy flashes/lenses/software that have become like eye candy to me :)  A girl can dream...  In the meantime, I've stumbled upon a quick fix to the harsh glare that comes from the on-camera flash:  the Lightscoop!  It's a low-tech/low-budget device that creates softer light by redirecting your camera’s pop-up flash to a ceiling or wall.  It's certainly no match for the pivoting speedlight I'd like, but for right now it fits the bill.  It arrived this weekend so I thought I would test it out during bathtime tonight.

First, here's a bath shot that I took last week using the pop-up - okay, supercute baby toupee :) but you can see how unflattering the on-camera flash can be to skin tones:

And here are tonight's with the Lightscoop attached:

So now I just need to find a $20 alternative to the lens and software on my list :)