How to Get Better Photos with your Pop-Up Flash (& a Giveaway!)
  

How to Get Better Photos with your Pop-Up Flash (& a Giveaway!)

I mentioned in an earlier post that I used an external flash for our Christmas morning photos.  If you haven't researched photography very much, you might wonder why I would feel the need to use an external flash if my camera comes with a pop-up flash.  I'll talk about that in this post. (I have also written a post all about using your flash & when it is good to use it & when it is better not to here.)



There are several ways to do just fine with what your DSLR comes with (in my case, very high ISO capabilities and a pop-up flash).  If you set your ISO high (the D3300 can go up to an impressive 12,800), you can get rid of the blur that can come with low light, but you're likely to end up with a more noisy/grainy photo (which you may or may not like).  Your other option is to use your pop-up flash which solves the noise problem, but is not ideal lighting (you can end up with red eye and harsh shadows when using a pop-up flash).



An external flash is great because you can position or aim your flash wherever you like.  This allows you to bounce the light from your flash off of a ceiling or wall.  Bouncing gives you light that is less direct (which prevents red eye and harsh shadows and just looks more natural).  An external flash is not a small investment and I know not everyone feels the need to go out and purchase one (even if they're not completely happy with their low-light photos).

Today I wanted to share a solution with you that's less expensive than an external flash.  Although I already have an external flash, I wanted to try the Lightscoop because of my hand problems.  My fingers get sore very easily when managing a heavy camera (one reason I am loving the smaller, lighter D3300 that I've been using lately).  Adding an external flash adds a fair bit of weight to the camera though, so I wanted to try something else.

Here's a picture of my camera (on the left) with the pop-up flash up, and on the right is a picture of it with the Lightscoop Deluxe attached to it.


The Lightscoop Deluxe has a mirror on one side which is pointed toward the pop-up flash and directs the light up (allowing for it to bounce off of the ceiling).  Here's an example of the difference the Lightscoop can make.  On the left is a photo of Katrina (taken in auto mode, with a pop-up flash).  On the right is a photo of Katrina (taken with the Lightscoop Deluxe on my camera, and using the camera settings that Lightscoop suggests).

You'll notice that we've got red eye going on in the first photo, but not in the second.  The second photo is also more crisp and clear looking.  The colour is more correct in the Lightscoop photo as well.  (I did not use Photoshop on any of the photos in this post)


The Lightscoop Deluxe can also be used to bounce light off of a wall.  You can do this by swivelling or tilting the Lightscoop to the left or right (as shown in the photos below).  This is also useful for when you want to take a vertical photo!


The photos below were taken with my camera turned on its side, so that I could get a vertical photo (the Lightscoop was positioned so that the light was directed up to the ceiling). Again, you can see that she has red eye on the left and the lighting is yellowy.  The photo on the right is definitely an improvement!


Overall I'm quite happy with this little product and think it's a great accessory!  I only wish there were an easier way to store & transport it.  My external flash comes with a little case that protects it when I want to toss it in my camera bag.  With the Lightscoop, I want to protect the mirror but don't have a particularly safe way of carrying it. I'm still thinking about the best way to tote it around with me ;)

The Lightscoop Deluxe retails for $39.95 and can be purchased at their website.  There is also a Lightscoop Jr. that can be used with compact cameras with built-in flash powerful enough to bounce. On their webiste you will find a few other accessories that can be used with their products.

If you're interested in purchasing one for yourself, you can get a 15% discount on your purchase from their website by using the code RAISING15 (The code is good until February 20th)

You can enter to win a Lightscoop Deluxe for yourself by filling out the form below! (Giveaway is open Worldwide)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received a Lightscoop Deluxe to facilitate this review. All opinions shared are my own and honest. This post contains affiliate links.

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75 comments:

  1. I also have an external flash, but I don't like to take it with me everywhere! This would be a much better option!!

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  2. The pictures look so amazing.
    Having one of these would probably be SO much easier than the cheater recipe cards I have been using (and would give better results too!).

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  3. I love that it makes the photos more crisp and clear looking! Your photos show that very well!

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  4. I love that it's really small and compact, I have another model but it's HUGE and bulky, not easy to carry around outside the house

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    1. Yeah, it is nice and small. I think it would be pretty easy to just tuck into a pocked of my camera bag (unlike an external flash which requires a whole section in the bag)

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  5. I like how it takes away the harsh look of the flash (I hate flash).

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    1. agreed! If you need to use artificial light, bouncing is the way to go!

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  6. I love how it prevents that awful white-out effect!

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    1. me too. Even my 9 year old looked at the photos and could tell me which one she thought was better & she pointed out how "glowy" her sister looked in the straight flash photo.

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  7. I like that it makes the pictures more clear looking.

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  8. You did a great job of explaining this tool and the pictures really illustrate how well it works. I just got my first DSLR, it's still in the box, brand spankin' new & I'd like to add this scoop. I like that it's tiltable. (hope that's a word)

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    1. Thank you :) Yes, that is a good feature- I'm glad it allows you to use the camera for vertical photos with the Lightscoop, too!

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  9. I like that it makes the photos look more like natural lighting.

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  10. really whats not to like,the photos speak for them self

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  11. I have two flashes, and after several hours of shooting, it weighs my camera down and starts killing my shoulders. This seems like such a fantastic way to bounce flash and save weight.

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  12. I like that it makes it lighter and brighter. lynnbeaniethetird@yahoo.ca lynn clayton

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  13. love how easy it is to port around with your camera! no bulky flash to carry!

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  14. i love that it just makes photos look so much better!

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  15. I love that it makes the pictures clearer and gets rid of that nasty red eye issue! (Judy Cowan)

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  16. It just seems to make things so much more brighter and clear, yet keeping them natural looking!!

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  17. I always want to take better pictures!

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  18. I love that the lighting looks so natural - no harsh shadows!

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  19. I love how much more natural the pictures turn out!! This is a must have!

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  20. The lightscoop has such different looks and shines, it is unbelievable.

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  21. I like how it makes the pictures look so much more natural.

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  22. i would like to give to my son who wants to be a photogragher

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  23. It's pretty simple to use, but it makes a lot of difference. That's great.

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  24. The natural look of the subject is much better! :)

    ( vamp629@yahoo.ca )

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  25. It's cloudy or rainy so much of the time that a lot of my pictures have to be inside and this would make them so much better!

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  26. I like that it helps have better picture images. It would be nice if they made these for a camera phone too.

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  27. I have not used one yet, but it appears to make a great difference. would be a great item to have

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  28. I like that it is lightweight but clearly effective

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  29. I love the results it gives. I purchased a new camera last year and the flash overexposure drives me batty! This would be perfect!

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  30. i love how it improves the photo

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  31. I like how it fixes the colors that usually wash out - especially white. White always washes out under a flash

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  32. I like that the light can be bounced off a wall.

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  33. Okay, I think I'm disposing my external flash for this one!

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  34. I like how the glare was cut by using it. Nice pics!

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  35. Love the portability and light weight (not to mention light price) of this product

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  36. Love the portability and light weight (not to mention light price) of this product

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  37. This would really help when taking pictures with a flash!

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  38. I like that it takes the glare off the picture.

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  39. I love that it is compact and it improves the photo.

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  40. I like how it doesn't look shiny in the background and the price is awesome

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  41. I like being able to aim and manipulate the external flash.

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    1. Of course there is a lot more that you can work with when you are using an external flash, but when you don't need all of those options, the Lightscoop is a great lightweight, straightforward alternative.

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  42. I love that it really makes the photo see more expert and professional.

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  43. I've been really working on my photography lately, and this looks so cool! The quality really does look so much better in the photos with the lightscoop attached!

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  44. I love how it take better photos :)

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  45. I love how it diffuses and softens the light and I love that it is small and easy to carry with me.

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  46. pictures look amazing as compared to traditional flash.

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  47. I like that it keeps things from getting washed out.

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  48. Bailey Dexter I really like that The Lightscoop Deluxe has a mirror on one side which is pointed toward the pop-up flash and directs the light up & that you get clear pictures!

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  49. I love that it makes the pictures look more clear!

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  50. This looks like such an amazing item! I think it would improve my photos greatly

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  51. I'm slowly but surely improving my photography skills, and this would really help! I often have problems with flash photos coming out less than ideal, so I'd love to see how Lightscoop would help!

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  52. I love how it makes the picture a lot clearer

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  53. I like how it evens out the light. May have to look at this product.

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  54. I like the fact that how sharp the pictures got after using the Lightscoop!!! Besides, it seems so handy... :)

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  55. I love how you can swivel & tilt it and the way it improves the photo drastically.

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  56. I just tried taking pictures of my doggie (grumpy old man), but the lighting was horrible. Thank you

    candieluster(at)gmail(dot)com

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  57. I love how you can tone down the flash with it, which produces better photo quality but also reduces red eye

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  58. I love that it's lightweight and improves the quality of your photographs. The subject's skin tone looks so much better.

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  59. I love that it improves the color of the photo!

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  60. I love that it would bring about more true colors in the photo.

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  61. Thanks for the great review, Heather! We’re thrilled that so many folks are interested in the Lightscoop! We’ve extended the RAISING15 code through the end of February! So, everyone, please feel free to use the and save 15% on any Lightscoop product when your order at www.lightscoop.com!

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  62. Sounds like a great alternative to the harsh light from a pop up flash. I try not to use mine but ever since my external flash was broken, there are times when it's unavoidable and I always hate the results!

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Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment- I love reading them! :)
~Heather Lynne

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