Thank you all for the incredibly detailed response with pictures and links to my question! I should've chosen my words more carefully when I said harsh shadows; I meant to say that they are so much more prominent with the flash shooting sideways. Nevertheless, I'm very interested in some of the suggestions on how to soften light as well, either with the Gary Fong or a softbox, so this worked out nicely!


I like the Really Right Stuff Wedding Pro Flash Bracket from the description for its size and convenience (nice video on their website!), but adding the L plate to the cost that's out of my budget range. Since I'm not planning on doing weddings professionally I don't want to spend too much, but for the few times that I'll need it, I do want it to be both functional and sturdy enough. The arc brackets look nice as well. It seems to take less effort changing orientation, but all the photo's of the bracket seem to indicate that the camera rotates clockwise (looking at the screen), making my grip obsolete (besides extra battery power).


I'll have to see how far I can strech my budget, and see which one of the recommendations fits best. Thanks again!