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Flash! He’ll blind every one of us!
Well there’s a sweeping generalization if I’ve ever heard one, but one with some truth to it. Let’s talk lighting. I’ll keep the physics to a minimum, promise.
The great compromise
Yes — you read me right: When you’re taking pictures of the baseball game from the nosebleed section and your flash is going off, all it’s doing is wasting your battery and lighting up the heads of the people in front of you. (If you’re interested in the math, you can look at this article on the inverse square law. If it hurts your head… just take my word for it.)
So why is it there? Well, you can’t make a photograph without light. And even though you think that candle-lit restaurant is plenty light enough for you to see, your eye and brain are much, much more sensitive to light than the sensor inside your camera. Look at it this way – when it comes to photography, light is like pizza: bad light is better than no light at all. It’s a compromise. In most cases, wouldn’t you rather have a poorly lit photo of that once in a lifetime shot than no shot at all?
So why is that little built-in flash so bad, anyway?
The reason why on camera flash looks so horrible is that the flash is on the same axis as the lens. Rarely, if ever in our daily lives do we see people lit from directly in front. It’s unnatural and therefore looks funny and unflattering to us. And yes, before you other pros chime in and tell me that on camera flash has its uses… I know it does. Let’s keep this simple for the beginner, mmkay?
Okay. So what can I do?
If you’ve got a point and shoot? Well, not much besides turning off the flash unless you really, really need it. In addition to adding light, flash is very good for freezing action since it has a very short duration, in effect becoming your shutter speed. So if you’re trying to get a nice sharp picture of someone jumping a skateboard in front of you, you might want it on. Just make sure you’re within 10ft or so.
Now, if you have a DSLR (the kind where you can change lenses) you have more options. Adding an accessory flash that clips into the hot shoe (that little thing above the viewfinder) helps a bit… but it’s still on axis with the lens, just a bit further away from it. So make sure you get one that you can pivot and twist.
Why? So you can bounce the light off a ceiling (this won’t work in, say, a hockey rink but it will in your living room) or a wall or do anything other than blast it directly at your subject like a firehose filled with photons. You can also use a light modifier, like the LumiQuest Pocket Bouncer which is one of my personal favorites. By increasing the surface area of the flash by 6-8 times, it softens the effect of direct flash. You can also purchase cords that allow you to use that little flash unit off of the camera entirely, creating different effects.
Final thoughts
So, is on camera flash the prettiest, most flattering light in the world? No. Is it better than not getting that once in a lifetime shot at all? Of course it is. Are there things you can do to make it better? Sure! My advice to you is, as always when trying to learn something about photography, shoot. Shoot some more. Then shoot even more after that. See when you need flash and when you don’t. See where it looks good and where it doesn’t.
Got a DSLR? Great! You have even more options to play with and learn. Try stuff, take notes, remember what works, and file that information away in your mind for when you need it. And most importantly, have fun.
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