Creative Flash Photography

It does not have to be dark or in a dimly lit room to use your flash attachment. Some of the best outdoor photographs have used flash photography in the middle of a bright sunny day. Many times photographers will use the flash to help dissipate shadows or to remove unattractive shadows from the subjects. With flash photography the technique of using a fill flash can make a great difference in the results.

Most cameras with a built-in flash unit are set for automatic flash. When you take a picture if the camera decides more light is needed the flash will come on and be used when you take the picture. If the camera believes there is enough light, the flash remains unused. In order to get the best results from your digital camera you will want a camera that lets you make the decision on when to use flash photography.

For example, you are outside at about high noon with the sun high in the sky. You family is gathered and lined up for the annual mug shot and several people are wearing baseball hats. You take the picture and when the prints come back you have trouble seeing the faces due to the shadows of the bills on the hats. If you have the capability of deciding when flash photography will be used, taking this picture will fill in the areas under the brims, brightening the faces and making them recognizable.

Of course, using your digital camera you may see the shadows where faces are supposed to be and take another picture, this time having everyone remove their hats. Now you can decide which is worse; shadows over the faces or several people with hat head.

When Critics Get Vocal, Flash Them

Many times when you use fill flash to enhance the natural lighting, someone in the crowd will point out that your flash went off. You can respectfully thank them for their observation and explain that flash photography helps lighten the mood of the picture. While they still have that quizzical look on their face, flash them again.

One of the problems with flash photography is the dreaded red eye. This usually occurs when the light from your flash unit is positioned directly over the lens and centered. Since most camera manufacturers know this, it is hard to imagine why flash units are still positioned there, but there are steps you can take to reduce this problem. Do not take pictures of faces straight on. Yes, it is that simple.

You can have the subject raise, or lower, their head slightly to keep the flash from hitting directly on their eyes. This also helps reduce the glare from the flash on eyeglasses.

If the up or down adjustment of the head will leave an unflattering pose, they can also move their head slightly left or right. Not so much as to look cross-eyed in the picture, just enough to reduce the glare on their eyes when using flash photography.

Another good thing about digital photography is the great software on the market that can help fix a lot of camera user mistakes. Almost every piece of digital photography software has the ability to correct red eye. The easiest software versions simply have you click on the part of the eye you want to fix, and in a snap the red is gone. Some of the better software lets you pick the color that is going to replace the red as most default to black. Some of your subjects will want to keep their baby blues.

Flash can add a lot to your digital photos. Experiment and you will find a style all your own. Happy Shooting!