Intro to Flash Photography
Intro To Flash Photography
Flash Photography
You will be taking the same picture using a) manual settings, b) manual settings with flash.
- You will shoot several series of shots.
- Indoor portrait
- Indoor still life (object in foreground)
- Outdoor portrait
- Outdoor deep depth of field (with object in foreground)
- For each series you will shoot
- Manual mode without flash (correct metered shutter speed)
- Manual mode with flash (same shutter speed with flash)
- Step shutter speed 2 steps down with flash
- Step shutter speed 4 steps down with flash
- (go back to metered shutter speed – then) Step shutter speed 2 steps up with flash
- Step shutter speed 4 steps up with flash
Avoid red-eye. (The cause of this strange look is light from your flash being reflected off the retina and back out through the pupil of your subject's eyes. The simplest way to solve this problem is to get the flash head as far as possible from the axis of your lens. You can do this by using a flash bracket, holding your flash away from your camera or mounting lights so your subject's pupils will be smaller. You can also use your camera's built-in red-eye reduction system or shoot with a shorter focal length lens or at a wider zoom lens setting.)
Tips
Many cameras with built-in flashes feature a low-powered pre-flash that helps reduce the incidence of red eye.
Bounce the flash off surroundings by aiming the flash gun at the ceiling or a wall for softer, more diffused lighting.
Use an adjustable flash that can be pointed at an angle.
Your Subjects
Steps:
1. Turn on the lights in the room so that your subjects' pupils will decrease in size.
2. Ask them to look to the side of your camera rather than straight at the camera when you snap the picture.
3. Divert babies or pets so that they look away from the camera.
How far does a flash go
Most digital point and shoot cameras are equipped with a small flash for indoor photography. This flash will only go about 10 to 15 feet from the camera to the subject. it will not line up an entire building or the quarterback on the football field at night from 100 feet away. It will only light up the backs of the heads of the spectators in front of you for about 10 feet.
Fill Flash
Some digital cameras give you the ability to manually turn on the flash even though it is a bright sunny day. This is called fill flash. It will balance out and fill in harsh shadows caused by the noon day sun.