Flash Photography Tips and Techniques
Flash photography is the use of a camera flash bulb in a variety
of possible situations where there doesn't seem to be enough
light. The most common use of flash photography is group
portraits at gatherings where there is not enough light to take
a satisfactory exposure.
But there are many other situations where the flash could be
used such as: fill-flash situations when the background is
brighter than the subject, using the flash to light up a room
and creating better coloring, or using the flash to freeze a
moving object in a dark situation.
-Indoor Flash Photography
In typical indoor situations there will probably not be enough
light to take a normal hand-held well-exposed photo. There are
many indoor flash photo opportunities you may be faced with. You
may want to cast light on a group of people for a portrait
photo. You may want to throw light into a room for an
architectural photo. Or you may just want to cast light on
certain objects in a lighted room that appears too dark for an
exposure.
If your camera's auto-exposure settings say that the photo would
require a shutter speed slower than 1/60 of a second then you
probably shouldn't hand-hold the camera or the photo would come
out blurry. The reason it would come out blurry is because the
shutter would be open long enough for any minor hand shake to
distort the composition. The use of a tripod or faster film will
probably be needed but many of us do not regularly carry a
tripod. Most photographers simply use their flash bulb when they
are inside.
In order to take effective indoor flash photos there are some
techniques you should keep in mind. When using the flash do not
point it directly at a mirror or glass that will create a lens
flare or just ruin the photo. Stand close enough to your
subjects so the flash is actually effective (four to ten feet).
Try to make sure your main subjects are about the same distance
away from the flash as each other or some that are closer to the
flash will appear brighter than ones that are farther away.
-Fill Flash Situations
Fill flash fills in the areas of a photo that would normally
appear too dark. Fill flash can be used for sunny day portraits
for shadows on a subject's face or to fill any shaded area that
is out of the sunlight. Fill flash can also be used to cast
light into a room where there are no windows. Fill in flash is
ideal for back-lit and side-lit situations. In a backlit
situation there will be a lot of light in the background but no
or little light cast on the front of the subject.
This would
normally create somewhat of a silhouette effect, but with a fill
flash it would balance the photo nicely. But in order for this
technique to work, you must be careful to stay in flash range
which is usually around four to ten feet. With common cameras in
order to add fill flash to a photo just toggle the flash to go
off when it normally would not be needed.
-Other Types of Flash
Many newer cameras now have a red-eye reduction mode where the
flash may fire before the picture is taken in order to cause the
subjects' pupils to contract. The red-eye reduction modes in
newer cameras are surprisingly effective and many work in
different ways to contract pupils.
A slow sync flash is for more complicated exposures and is used
commonly to create blurry long exposures. The flash fires at the
beginning of the exposure, but the shutter still stays open for
a moment after the flash has fired. This can freeze a car at
dusk and create a blurry streak in the cars path. Or the slow
sync flash could capture a sunset and freeze a closer subject
that is moving through the frame. There are countless situations
where a slow sync flash could possibly be used to enhance an
exposure. There are also other versions of the sync flash such
as the rear sync flash (where the flash fires at the end of an
exposure) or the stroboscopic flash (where the flash fires
multiple times throughout an exposure).
Many photographers also choose to bounce the flash off a wall or
ceiling to get a softer diffused kind of light commonly sought
after for portraits. This kind of flash technique requires a
flash that can be aimed in a direction that the camera is not
pointed. It takes practice to refine this technique and only a
small percentage of photographers actually use it.
-Conclusion
Practice using flash in your photos even when it is not
necessarily needed and pay attention to your results. The best
way to become better at flash photography is to analyze your
photos and try to figure out what you could have done
differently in order to create a better flash-filled exposure.
About the author:
Richard Schneider is a digital photography enthusiast and
founder of http://www.picturecorrect.com/ which offers tips and
news about digital photography, digital camera reviews,
photoshop tutorials. Please also visit
http://www.picturecorrect.com/freewallpaper.htm where there is
free high resolution desktop wallpaper available.
Written by: Richard Schneider
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