What’s the best inexpensive investment a photojournalist can make - and that’s near-essential for some photos?  No doubt it’s Sto-Fen’s Omni-Bounce flash diffuser - which runs about $10 at deep-discount outlets such as Adorama and about $20 elsewhere.
   The Omni-Bounce is easiest described as a Tupperware-like cap that fits a specific flash unit.  It’s apparently made of the same plastic as Tupperware and one-piece - making it rugged and foolproof.  Unlike some other diffusers, it is compact and doesn’t protrude much at all from your flash.
   While the instructions feature it used for bounce flash, it also works well for direct flash; that’s why you often see it on Capitol Hill - where some congressman might gripe if a flash hit him in the eyes.
    But - used for bounce flash - it can solve a lot of difficult lighting problems very simply.  It’s easy to always keep it in your bag - and takes only a couple seconds to put on your flash.  I used it when the New York Daily News called me on very short notice for a package of the parents of New York Giants rookie star David Wilson at their Virginia home - and it produced very good results with no complex lighting.  One of those photos ran the next day.

Shelia Wilson, mother of New York Giants star David Wilson, shot with Omni-Bounce.
Shot on assignment for New York Daily News.