Lighting for plant photos

[bkrownd]

I'm wondering if anyone has any clever suggestions for lighting small and medium sized plants, fungus, snails etc (in the wild) for photos. The light has to be handheld and extremely portable (pocketable). The glare off wet leaves, shells, shadows and the very limited range of my camera's built-in flash are annoying me, as is the shutter speed limitation. I'm wondering if there could be a more elegant and satisfying solution than simply a larger flash unit?

[RAH]

I think an LED flashlight might be good. I'm thinking of something like the Gerber Trio:

http://www.brightguy.com/products/Gerber_Trio.php

or Tritac:
http://www.brightguy.com/products/Gerber_TRITAC.php

(also at Amazon):

http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-TriTac-Tactical-Flashlight-22-80047/dp/B0009JVEOI/ref=pd_bbs_10?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1202479089&sr=8-10

These give off a very smooth, white wash of light (i.e. not like a spotlight). They are not super bright, so I think they would be good for close-in work. Both take 2 AA batteries and are very similar. The Tritac is somewhat newer with a different styling, but the light from both is the same.

For something even smaller, the Gerber Infinity Ultra would be a good choice:
http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Infinity-Ultra-Flashlight-22-80012/dp/B00062APHU/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1202479089&sr=8-1

although it is quite dim and probably not bright enough especially for outdoor stuff, even close-up.

[Clive Watson]

Put some tracing paper or similar over your flash to soften the light? I've never actually tried this, it's just an idea. Does anyone know if this is actually an intelligent suggestion or not?

[bkrownd]

Put some tracing paper or similar over your flash to soften the light? I've never actually tried this, it's just an idea. Does anyone know if this is actually an intelligent suggestion or not?

I'm not sure about tracing paper specifically, but that's similar to a simple flash diffuser. The problem is that it not only spreads but also attenuates the light a bit, requiring a more powerful light, and I need a lot more light than my built-in flash provides.

I carry two pocket headlamps into the wilderness with me, but they're too small and too blue for what I have in mind. Headlamps and flashlights also tend to have a more narrow beam than what I'd need - a florescent tube would be more like I'm thinking of for light distribution, but that's too bulky and colored.

[ghostrider]

Put some tracing paper or similar over your flash to soften the light? I've never actually tried this, it's just an idea. Does anyone know if this is actually an intelligent suggestion or not?

A magazine i read recently suggested cutting the handle off a large plastic milk container(6 pints) and placing it over the flash. I've not tried it but in theory it should work.