With the holiday season right around the corner, you’ll likely have many opportunities to take pictures of those people and places that are important to you. Unfortunately, that “keeper” photo that looked so great in the viewfinder may be a major disappointment when you view the results.
But wait! You may have an ally that can help save those potentially great pictures – the flash that’s built into your camera.
The in-camera flash that you seldom think about can be a very versatile tool with a little awareness and practice. On most cameras, the flash activates when the camera indicates that there is not enough light for a good exposure. The flash can work against you – or you can make it work for you, as you can see from viewing our slide show.
Figure 1 shows that unfortunate and all too common result of the subject standing in front of a mirror, window or other reflective surface. The outcome looks painful, and if this isn’t the photo you planned, it can certainly feel that way.
Figure 2 shows a similar situation of a person in front of a window. The problem is that the camera “saw” the outside light and exposed for that level of illumination, not so friendly once again to our intrepid subject.
Figure 3 shows that forcing the flash or reframing so that more of the foreground image is in the frame allows the flash to fire, providing the needed light for proper exposure. Because the photo was set up so that the reflective glass in the window was at an angle to the camera, there is no unwanted reflection that ruins the exposure for the foreground or distracts from the subject.
Figure 4 shows our old nemesis, “red eye” – a common problem with indoor, low-light photographic situations. Red eye actually is the reflection of the flash off the retina of the subject’s eyes. Red-eye reduction setting on the flash helps reduce this problem by firing a series of short pre-flashes before the actual picture is made, but this creates an unfortunate lag between the time the shutter release button is pressed and the photo is recorded. The problem can also be addressed by turning on some additional lights in the room where the photo is to be made or by the judicious use of many photo management programs’ red-eye doctoring tools.
Figure 5 was made after having the subject look at a light source for a moment before the photo was made.
A common mistake is seen in Figure 6 where even with the flash at full power, the photo is too dark or underexposed. This is because most flash units can illuminate within 8 feet of the camera’s position. Beyond this range, the flash cannot provide enough light. The solution is to get closer and shoot your subjects within your camera’s listed range.
The difference between using available light and flash in low-light situations is seen in comparing Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 shows that the flash provides enough light for a good exposure and a short enough shutter speed for a sharp image.
Figure 8 shows the effect of a longer exposure time, because the shutter must remain open longer to make a proper exposure. Often, the subjects and the camera in the photographer’s hands will move, blurring the image. Using a tripod will remove the camera movement and allow for time exposures that can capture the beauty of holiday lighting displays and night scenes. Just be sure to set the flash setting to “off.”
Finally, on those crisp bright winter days outside, why would you think of using a flash on a sunny day? Figure 9 shows the effect of shooting with the available light in a sunny setting, where a shadow made by the bill of the cap darkens the subject’s face.
By “forcing” the flash (setting the flash to fire), Figure 10 shows that it can add enough light to brighten the subject’s face and add a pleasing “catch light” or highlight reflection in the subject’s eyes.
