Modified Finn Bounce

(Words by Christina. Graphics by Justin.)

I used to avoid flash at all costs, but the FinnBounce piqued my interest in flash photography. This simple homemade device, designed by Petteri Sulonen, allows the built in pop-up flash on digital SLRs to be bounced, effectively deflecting light from the lens. This eliminates the harsh shadows characteristic of most built-in flashes and instead results in a more natural looking, evenly lit subject.

But does it work? Short answer: Yes!

Impressed by the before/after shots posted by the creator, Justin and I wanted to test the FinnBounce out for ourselves.

We gathered the household materials (cardstock and foil) and followed the 9-step directions to construct our very own FinnBounce. Preliminary tests revealed impressive results. However, it was apparent that the design was not meant to fit our particular camera, the Canon Rebel XSi. We decided to tweak the design to allow for a more consistently secure use of the FinnBounce. Ultimately, we found the following model to be most successful for the XSi:

Compared to the original FinnBounce, our modified FinnBounce incorporates a flap that runs over the hot shoe and slides behind the rubber viewfinder cover.

We made two versions of our modified FinnBounce: 1) white (without foil) and 2) foil. The former acts as a diffuser-bounce combo, while the latter is better-suited for bounce only. Both significantly reduce dark shadows and overexposure compared to shots taken without the FinnBounce.

Check out some test photos (click to enlarge):



Try it out for yourself! Download a free template of our modified FinnBounce here.


Bottom line: The FinnBounce is a simple, cost efficient (read: free) way to explore flash photography.

Enjoy!

Vacation Photos

The past few weeks I've been out visiting my relatives in Arizona and hosting other relatives here in San Francisco - the best part/worst part about visiting/hosting guests is that you get/have to go tourist traps. I was lucky enough to go to Sedona, AZ for my first time and I was blown away by how beautiful and quiet a place it could be even though it was filled with tourists.

Shortly after my AZ trip, I took my cousins to the Golden Gate Bridge on the best possible day - a day without a cloud in the sky! My cousin asked me "Is SF always this nice?" to which I replied: "I wish."

Above are the two panoramic pictures I took with my Canon A630. I was very pleased by how CS4 photo-stitched them together so well - I only had to tweak the clipping masks and levels slightly to make it look continuous. I edited the Sedona picture first and wanted to capture the vibrance of the area so I had fun with the saturation and levels. For the SF picture I went for the more "historic" look... Yeah, I know sepia-style can be a little cheesy, but at least I didn't fade it and make it look like an old photo... Enjoy!

~Crisostomo

Powergirl T-Shirt

For those of you who don't know powergirl:



I was inspired to design a simple t-shirt for all those Powergirl fans who never had the means to express their love for their favorite superheroine after seeing a deviation by my comic hero Adam Hughes. Enjoy!



~justin

Oh, and if you're going to the con, you'll wanna buy it here ASAP:
http://www.cafepress.com/jsosdesign

Other Hidden Logos

Check out THIS article to see awesome subliminal "gifts" in popular logos today. My favorite logo as a kid was the "Sun Microsystems" logo and I'm glad it made the cut. After reading this article, I have a new respect for the Goodwill logo.