Photography DIY: V-flat

Light It

I put an off-camera flash on a short light stand in the center of the V-flat area and put a large diffusion dome on top of it to bounce the light around in every direction. I put a cardboard “flag” inside the dome so the portion of the flash that would normally bounce forward was bounced back and sideways instead. The goal is to minimize hotspots while getting the light to bounce around inside on the silver as much as possible.

Next, put your diffuser (sheet or shower curtain) on the face of the assembled V-flat. You can temporarily tape it in place with gaffer’s tape, you can clamp it, or if you plan to use it a lot, you can put some Velcro on the V-flat and the shower curtain edges. If you have a second off-camera flash, set it up outside the shower curtain to light your model. If you have a third flash unit (and diffuser dome), consider adding it inside the silver V-flat to light the high-key backdrop more evenly.