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What Are Diffusers in Photography? (And How to • Landscape Photography

Use Them) • Wildlife Photography

• Portraiture
BY NICHOLAS HESS | 4 COMMENTS
LAST UPDATED ON DECEMBER 27, 2022 • Post-Processing
• Advanced Tutorials

A diffuser is a critical piece of equipment for flash photography. In terms of the

quality of light, I’d even say that using a diffuser is more important than the flash
you choose! In this article, I’ll answer all of your questions about using diffusers
RIGHT NOW
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for flash photography and artificial light.

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Table of Contents
1. What Is a Diffuser?
2. What Is “Soft” and “Hard” Light? PHOTOGRAPHY LANDSCAPE
BASICS PHOTOGRAPHY
3. How Does a Diffuser work?
4. When and How to Use a Diffuser
4.1. Get Close
4.2. It’s All About the Angles
4.3. Get Off-Camera
WILDLIFE MACRO
4.4. One Size Does Not Fit All
PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY
4.5. Pay Attention to Catchlights
5. Can You Use Multiple Flashes Instead of a Diffuser?
6. What Diffuser Should You Get?
6.1. SMDV 24 inch Speedbox
6.2. Pop-Up Diffusers
COMPOSITION & BLACK & WHITE
6.3. Vello 8 x 12 Inch Softbox CREATIVITY PHOTOGRAPHY
6.4. White Umbrella
6.5. DIY Diffusers
7. Conclusion

What Is a Diffuser? NIGHT SKY PORTRAIT

PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY

A diffuser in photography is simply something that disperses light from a light

source. In other words, it increases the area of the light source.

Before we go much further, though, we need to be on the same page about

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
exactly what a diffuser is in photography. Usually, diffusers look something like PHOTOGRAPHY VIDEOS
this:
UNIQUE GIFT IDEAS

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Diffusers come in all shapes and sizes, although the most basic diffusers attach to the front of the
flash like this small one.
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As you can see, the simple diffuser above attaches directly to the flash. But
that’s not the only shape a diffuser can take. Have you ever seen an umbrella
lighting attachment in a photography studio? Those stray a bit into the realm of
reflectors, but they’re also diffusers, since they’re designed to spread out the
light from your light source.

Diffusers aren’t just meant for flashes, either. Many diffusers are designed to
attach to larger, constant lights. The purpose is the same, though – “softening”
the light.

What Is “Soft” and “Hard” Light?

If you’re not already familiar with flash photography, my usage of the word
“softening” a moment ago may seem a bit out of place. But the word “soft” is
frequently used to refer to highly diffused light. Because I’ll be throwing this term
around a lot in this article, it’s important to understand exactly what the word
means.

It might be easier to first understand what “hard” or “harsh” lighting is. When
light on the subject in a photo is harsh, there’s an abundance of dark, defined
shadows, and bright pin-pointed reflections. This results in a high contrast
image. The light at noon on a sunny day can be considered hard/harsh.

The best way to describe soft lighting is the opposite of harsh lighting.
Indicators of soft lighting are gradual shadows and subdued reflections. There is
more even lighting across the subject, and there’s less dramatic contrast. To give
one example of soft light, it’s what you’ll see on an overcast day.

Soft lighting is generally preferred when you’re shooting with artificial light. There
are always exceptions in photography, but the images below of an Amblypygi
species should give you an example of why soft light tends to look better. On the
left is without a flash diffuser, while on the right is with a flash diffuser.

You can see how the second image has shadows with gentler edges – AKA soft
light. The highlights are also much less glaring. To me, it’s easily the better of the
two photos. The hard light in the first image just looks distracting.

Now that you know what I mean by soft and hard light, let’s jump back into the
details of diffusers.

How Does a Diffuser work?

The basic principle behind a diffuser is that it spreads out the light so that it’s
emitted from a larger area. By spreading out the light source, the light hits the
subject from more angles at once. The result is soft light!

This diagram may explain the concept better than words can:

Left: hard light, no diffuser. Right: soft light, diffuser.

As you can see from the graphic, the light is much harsher when the source of
light is small and distant (like a single flash). By comparison, a diffuser spreads
out the flash so that it can illuminate the sphere from more angles. The result is a
much softer shadow.

You might be realizing that the size of the flash diffuser plays a big role here. A
large diffuser will cast softer light than a small diffuser, given the same distance
to the subject. You can see how that works here:

A smaller diffuser versus a larger diffuser

But it’s not just the diffuser’s size that matters. Just as important is the distance
between the front of the diffuser and your subject! The closer the diffuser, the
softer the light. A diffuser that’s far away will cast light from a narrow angle – not
very different from an unmodified flash. That’s demonstrated here:

Distant diffuser (harsh light) versus nearby diffuser (very soft light)

Really, it is not the objective size of the diffuser that matters to create softer
light, but the relative size of the diffuser from the perspective of the subject. A
small, close diffuser might cast softer light than a big diffuser that’s far away.

Finally, the size of your subject itself plays a role. Once again, I have a diagram
for your perusal:

Notice how the larger subject prevents the diffuser from shining light from
extreme angles. Meanwhile, the smaller subject is surrounded by light practically
wrapping around it.

In practice, this means that macro photographers can get by with smaller
diffusers, whereas portrait photographers will need a larger diffuser for equally
soft light.

To sum up how diffusers work, you’ll get softer light as your diffuser gets larger
and closer to your subject (and as the subject gets smaller). This is why it’s so
rare to see photographers fire an unmodified flash directly at their subject.
Instead, professional photographers almost always diffuse their flash in one way
or another – whether that’s a dedicated diffuser, an umbrella, bounce flash, or
something else.

When and How to Use a Diffuser

When should you use a diffuser? Personally, I recommend using a diffuser
practically any time that you’re doing flash photography, or artificial light
photography in general. This isn’t saying that harsh light is always a bad idea, but
I find that 99% of the time, soft light is the way to go. It’s one of the easiest ways
to improve your photos, and the best part is that it hardly costs anything at all!

As for how to use a diffuser, that can be a bit more complex. I’ll go through some
of my favorite tips throughout this part of the article.

1. Get Close
The best way to create soft light is by investing in a large diffuser and positioning
it as close to the subject as possible. This is a big reason to use the flash off-
camera.

Diffused on-camera flashes can create nice light if your subject is very close, like
for macro photography. But the moment you need to back up and photograph
something like a portrait, the light will get harsher and harsher.

When I can, I position my off-camera flash at the closest possible point to my

subject – right outside my photo’s composition. For macro photography, I
sometimes push the diffuser down so much that it literally wraps around the lens.

2. It’s All About the Angles

The shadows and highlights in your photo are dictated by the angle that the light
hits your subject, relative to your camera.

With wildlife, I generally try to make sure the face of the subject is illuminated
fully. But there are many other ways to position the diffuser to create interesting
results. For example, you can create dramatic sidelight by positioning the
diffuser to the left or right of the subject.

In any event, the same principle applies: Put the diffuser close to your subject!
Just out of frame is ideal. And make sure that the diffuser is large enough to
illuminate your entire subject even when positioned that close.

DC-G9 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 250, 1/250, f/11.0

3. Get Off-Camera
If you haven’t gotten the message yet, putting your flash off-camera is really
helpful when you’re trying to soften the light with a diffuser.

With an off-camera flash, you can position the diffuser closer to your subject and
experiment with different angles. Small changes in the angle of light can have a
big effect on the photo.

Typical flashes are easy to fire off-camera with a flash cable or a remote trigger.
The bigger challenge is holding the flash in the right place! I generally hold my
flash and diffuser in my left hand, while holding the camera in my right. This can
become really tricky, and I often find myself playing Twister trying to hold each
element at the perfect angle.

Stands, flash arms, and friends can be a great help in these situations. I prefer to
hold the flash (or have a friend do it) so that I can make small adjustments on the
fly. But keep in mind that I’m the type of person who likes taking photos of
squiggly snakes at night. If you’re shooting a static subject in the studio, a flash
stand is probably the way to go.

DC-G9 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 320, 1/200, f/11.0

4. One Size Does Not Fit All

It’s important to keep an arsenal of lighting techniques in your toolbox. No single
lighting setup is the best for every situation. As I mentioned, larger subjects
require larger diffusers, or you won’t illuminate the whole subject in the first
place. Other times, you may want slightly harsher light (even if you still diffuse it
some) because the subject warrants a bit more texture.

I keep about five different lighting techniques on rotation depending on the

situation I’m facing. An important skill is to evaluate the scene in front of you and
determine what type of light you want to cast. Switching it up keeps your work
dynamic, and it encourages improvement!

DC-G9 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 125, 1/200, f/11.0

5. Pay Attention to Catchlights

My last tip is to keep in mind the “catchlights” on your subject, especially the
subject’s eyes. Catchlights are the reflection of the flash itself. If your diffuser
has a strange shape or sharp edges, it may show up as tiny reflections in your
subject’s eyes.

This is why I sometimes avoid diffusers with sharp edges and corners. Sure,
they’ll still cast soft light, but I don’t want to create distracting catchlights in my
subjects’ eyes. 90 degree angles are rare in nature, so they definitely qualify as
distracting. It may sound like a small issue, but it’s still important to me.

E-M1 + OLYMPUS M.60mm F2.8 Macro @ 60mm, ISO 640, 1/200, f/11.0

Can You Use Multiple Flashes Instead of a Diffuser?

There is a common misconception that soft light is the same as an absence of
shadows. Sometimes, photographers slap on an additional flash (or buy a dual-
flash setup) thinking they’ll get soft light this way.

Although dual flashes can get rid of shadows, they still cast harsh lights with
bright reflections on your subjects. The same goes for ring lights. There’s a
difference between soft shadows and no shadows! Diffusers are great because
they soften up the highlight/shadow transitions, while retaining some shadows
that give your subject depth and dimension.

In short, even if you have a dual flash system, you need to use diffusers.

What Diffuser Should You Get?

The right diffuser for you depends on your subject’s size. As I mentioned earlier,
larger subjects require much larger diffusers. Ideally, you want the diffuser to be
several times larger than the subject. If it’s not, you’ll need to place the diffuser
further from your subject (because at least then you’ll illuminate the whole
subject), which makes the light harsher.

It’s also important that there’s enough distance between the flash itself and the
diffusing material. That way, the flash is properly dispersed across the entire area
of the diffuser. Way too many diffusers sold online have the flash places mere
inches away from the diffusing material, which hardly does anything. The deeper
the softbox, the more diffused the light will be.

Other criteria include convenience (can the diffuser be collapsed for easy
carrying?) and shape. As I mentioned a moment ago, I have a preference for
rounded diffusers in order to improve the catchlights on my subject.

Here are just a few of the diffusers I recommend, with some pros and cons.

SMDV 24 inch Speedbox

I like this large softbox because it is easily collapsible and packs tightly in a
camera bag. For the past couple years, I have used the 50cm version of this
diffuser (about 4 inches smaller than this one in diameter) but they’ve sadly
discontinued it.

The popup design is extremely convenient for the size and effectiveness of the
diffuser! This diffuser is so large that it cannot be used on-camera. It’s also
overkill for extreme macro photography of small bugs and flowers. This diffuser
is fairly expensive at $140 – although not bad at the current sale price of $99 –
but considering everything, I consider it one of the best values of any
photography gear I’ve bought.

SMDV Diffuser at B&H

Pop-Up Diffusers
There are many similar designs on the market for pop-up flash disc diffusers.
These are a great cheap option. They are universal in that they can be placed
over any flash head. The light is shot upwards and reflected outwards. The discs
do a surprisingly good job at dispersing the light. These are also very convenient
because they can be used when the flash is mounted on-camera.

This is a good, cheap option for $14 on Amazon

Vello 8 x 12 Inch Softbox

This is a rectangular softbox. I like that it is fairly large, but can still be used on-
camera. A downside is that softboxes like these don’t have much rigidity, and
often collapse on themselves, becoming a pain to use. I like that it’s universal,
however, so it should fit whatever flash you have.

It’s a good value at $19 on B&H

White Umbrella
An umbrella can act as an excellent diffuser. I find white umbrellas to be quite
versatile. They can bounce light from a flash back at the subject, casting very
diffused light. I also occasionally fire the flash through the umbrella, which is
another way to use it as a diffuser. Lastly, an umbrella can actually function as a
diffuser for the sun!

Usually, umbrella diffusers are used with a light stand, but you can get a friend to
hold one or potentially hold it yourself depending upon the angle of your subject.
It’s a huge light source if you get it to work right.

This one is really inexpensive at $10 for a pretty big umbrella!

DIY Diffusers
If none of the diffusers you can find online seem like a good match, there’s
always the option of building your own diffuser. I find that this can be the best
light, oftentimes even better than a paid alternative. I’m working on another
article that explains how to build a good, custom diffuser – I’ll post it as soon as
possible!

Conclusion
I hope this article has given you a good understanding of how flash diffusers
work, why they are crucial to flash photography, and what diffuser is right for
you.

One of the biggest steps up in my photography was when I learned how to

properly diffuse my flash. I absolutely recommend you invest in a diffuser, or
build your own, if you have not already done so. The difference is like night and
day and will instantly improve your photography.

Remember to get a diffuser that is as big as possible (within reason), and

position it as close as possible to your subject. With that, you’ll be able to
capture some beautiful, soft light in your photos. If you have any questions about
the process, please don’t hesitate to ask me in the comment section below.

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