bounced flash: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

Not necessarily. Many flash units have a tilting or rotating head. Any flash that can be pointed away from the subject can be used for bounced flash, provided you have a suitable surface (like a white ceiling or wall).

Ideally, neutral white. Coloured surfaces will cast a tint of that colour onto your subject (e.g., a yellow wall creates warm/yellow light).

They achieve a similar goal—softening light—through different means. A softbox diffuses light directly, while bounced flash reflects it off a larger surface. The results can be subtly different.

Avoid it when ceilings are very high (like in a church), dark (as it absorbs light), or coloured. Also, it may not be suitable when you need to preserve the specific direction or dramatic quality of direct light.

A photographic lighting technique where the light from a flash unit is aimed at a surface (like a wall or ceiling) rather than directly at the subject, producing softer, more diffused illumination.

Bounced flash is usually technical (photography) in register.

Bounced flash: in British English it is pronounced /baʊnst flæʃ/, and in American English it is pronounced /baʊnst flæʃ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.