Diffusing bounced light

[Thomas Burns]

I've recently worked on a number of shoots where the gaffer placed a 4x4 of diffusion in front of an illuminated 4x4 bounce card. The intention was to create an extremely soft source, softer than the bounce card alone. I'm having trouble understanding the physics of this: can diffusion make bounced light any softer? Is the diffusion ensuring that the light hitting the subject is coming from a source that is evenly illuminating him/her (as opposed to a bounce card, where there is often a hot spot in the center)? Any clarification would be much appreciated.

 

Thomas Burns

DP/AC, Austin/Los Angeles

[Kevin Zanit]

Of course diffusion can make bounced light softer, it makes any light softer. What you are describing is often called a "book light".

 

Its a very soft, but inefficient source. I suppose you could say it removes the hotspot, as it spreads the light more.

 

 

Kevin Zanit