Well, at first you might think this is a silly one, but there is reason to it.

The next thing you should buy after your DSLR and a lens, is a flash gun. If you don’t have a fast lens (f1.0-,f1.8) this is a must have.

Flash can be your best friend and your worst enemy, but I’m not going to tell you how to use it (theres plenty of placed where you can get hat information), but what you need.

The Obvious:A Flash gun.

Canon Speedlite 580EX II/Canon Speedlite 430EX II

This is like I said a must have. It is one of the most important pieces of kit in my bag. Even if you hate using flash, you will need one in a light less situation. the 580 EX Mark I is what I use, it never leaves my bag.

The 580 is the top of the line, professional flash, weather sealed and tough with a fast recharge time. The 430 is the consumer grade equivalent and still a very fine piece of kit.

Necessity *****

the Sto-fen Omni Bounce

Well sometimes, a diffuser is in need they don’t come more compact than this. The omni bounce is used to give a softer light when bouncing the flash off walls and ceilings in a small to medium sized rooms. It gives a much softer light than a naked flash bounce. It is not intended for direct use as in it shouldn’t be left on your flash at all times especially when using the flash pointed directly at your subject. It causes your flash to use significantly more power than is needed and will drain batteries 2-8x faster.

Recommended ****

A Better Bounce Card

This is something that is very very cheap but very very effective. Go have a look at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNCmuExlHvM It is something that stays with me all the time, I believe that this is better and much more effective than the sto-fen in many ways and is such a cheap easy thing to make.

These bounce cards can be made or bought and are highly effective products at very low costs of made by your self. All you need is a foam sheet, a ruler and a pair of scissors. Try it out.

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