Make a home-made diffuser
You often see professional photographers at events with a plastic white cap over their flash heads. These white caps are known as diffusers and their purpose is to smooth out the light as it hits the subject. The diffuser is invaluable to an event photographer as it gets rid of all the harsh shadows usually associated with flash guns. These are usually used to get rid of the harsh shadows under the eyes etc on a persons face. A diffuser basically produces the same light that you get on a bright overcast day, thereby producing a well lit and attractive image. Diffusers are produced for just about all cameras and can even be bought for compact cameras (i.e. built in flashes). However, these can be very pricey, that’s why I suggest making one yourself.
The process is very simple and will cost you almost nothing. All you need to do is find a sheet of white, semi-transparent material. Paper is too thick and won’t let light through, but there are countless other materials you can use. I suggest a white plastic shopping bag, wax paper from your kitchen drawer, or tracing paper from a stationary shop, or even some tissue paper. Now just cut a piece of the material you chose big enough to cover the surface area of the flash on your camera, with a bit of extra coverage on the top and bottom. Now use some sticky tape to stick the material over your flash. Make sure not to stick the sticky tape over the flash, so stick it above and below the flash to fasten the material. You now have a fully functioning diffuser. On some cameras you can set the strength of the flash, so you can play around with the effects, of a powerful/weak flash through your new diffuser.
You can even adjust the exposure of the shots to further compensate the effects of the diffuser. You photos may result in a bit of a blue tint if you use a plastic bag, this can however be easily fixed in any photo editing software. It’s a small price to pay to get rid of harsh shadows and shiny faces. The end result of the diffuser will be soft and evenly lit portraits, which will look very professional. Another problem you will get rid of is the red-eye effect. Direct flash usually causes severe red eyes, but with your new diffuser the light is less directional and you will find that red eyes are no longer such a problem. If you apply the home made diffuser to a pop up flash be sure to remove it before pushing the flash back down, to avoid damaging your camera.