How to Use a Balloon as an Effective Flash Photography Diffuser

Flash Photography  •  Photography Tips

In their quest to find inexpensive ways to improve their photography, The Koldunov Brothers made this video to demonstrate a technique that portrait photographers can use to create a simple diffuser for the pop-up flash on their camera. In order to do so, they filled a white balloon with air and attached it to the flash. This astounding effect proves the usefulness of such an idea–notice the changes in shadow, highlights and color of the subject’s complexion. The final image after using the balloon diffuser has a clean, more professional look comparable to portraits using actual flash diffusers:

The image below displays the difference between taking a portrait with the flash and then with the balloon diffuser. There is a noticeable difference in the eyes and skin color of the subject. The diffuser helps to eliminate the shadow behind a subject and the glare found in the hair, nose, ears and lips, for example.After seeing this trick in effect, you should give it a try! What would happen with different colored balloons?

“Photography has the capacity to provide images of man and his environment that are both works of art and moments in history”– Cornell Capa