Saturday, April 06, 2013

A to Z Challenge - F


Kitty does not like Flash!!!
Most cameras have an automatic flash feature. When the camera thinks its too dark to take a good picture, its flash bulb will go off adding additional lighting to the photo. Serious photographers however would never allow the camera to make such a decision!

In fact, I am learning that serious photographers just turn the flash off entirely. 

Auto-flash lighting is often bright and harsh. It often makes subjects look washed out and pale. A good photographer will make a choice as to whether additional lighting is needed and will provide it in a variety of ways. There are countless tools out there for lighting photos, from special flash units that twist and turn to external umbrellas that take light and bounce it back on to a subject.
No flash...

The cheap-man's suggestion are using scotch tape to diffuse the flash or to use a piece of paper to deflect the flash from your subject first onto a wall or ceiling before hitting the subject. This should at least soften the flash some, while still providing additional light.





5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmmm, gonna have to play with my flash! I think I have a silver umbrella lying around somewhere :)

Unknown said...

I love when I can turn off the flash and have enough light for something as beautiful as your sunset shot!

Inger said...

Great tip, thank you so much. Is there no way to turn a flash off on these inexpensive digital cameras? I was surprised to see that your cat looks so much like one of mine that I'm writing about today, Furry Friend. He passed away some years ago, but still lives in my heart.

Anstice Brown said...

Luckily I have the option to turn off flash on my Fujifilm finepix camera. Otherwise, it makes people look way too white and washed out. I put it on 'baby mode' to take safe pictures of my cat and other animals without blinding them. I also like the 'natural light' setting, which keeps a warm glow on the photo. Afterall, you can always brighten the photo in photoshop if it turns out too dark.

Shannon said...

Inger, often not. Point and shoot cameras, as they are called, usually are meant for folks who wouldn't know to do so. But there are many levels of cameras, so you'll have to play with yours to see if its possible. Another option...just use some black electric tape over the light. This should block it out and can be easily removed if needed. Good luck!
S


PS - My kitty is my baby. She's about 14 and I dread the day I lose her, but she is still acting like a kitten most days so I am blessed!