Flash photography is one of the most complex skills that one can encounter as an amateur photographer. The camera flash is a tricky accessory to use, since there are certain situations and conditions where operating with it is ideal, and in other instances, it can be quite unflattering to your photos.
Understanding Camera Flash
Before we get into finding ways on how to use the camera flash, it is important to understand first how the camera flash works. Here are some of its characteristics for the most type of cameras:
It is one directional
A basic camera flash comes from a single source, and therefore it only goes in one direction.
Intensity and range all depends on the flash type and size
The intensity (the amount of light from the flash that is seen in the subject), and range (how far and wide the light reaches your subject) all depends on the camera flash type. A small flash will yield lesser results, and a large flash is more customizable with larger results.
There are different accessories to help you utilize your camera flash better
Accessories such as a flash diffuser, speed light flash, and other accessories can help you make use of your basic flash better for ideal results.
When to Use Flash Number 1: Indoor Photography
Indoor photography is known for its low-light characteristic. Unless you’re in a space where there are several light fixtures present, it is ideal to make use of your flash indoors. Making use of flash in indoor settings avoid the low brightness and poor contrast of photos improves the sharpness and avoids the unwanted shadows in your subject under unfavorable light conditions.
How to Use Flash in Indoor Photography
A tip to create good indoor flash photography images is setting appropriate distance. When your subject is too near, the flash tends to create an unwanted glare. Make sure that you set a distance of at least an arms length’s away from the subject to create a good quality image. If you need to use flash on a subject up-close, it is better to make use of lighting accessories instead.
When to Use Flash Number 2: Night Time Photography
Night time photography, whether indoor or outdoor, is imperatively a situation that needs a good amount of lighting for quality. It is difficult to create good night time photos without the wise use of the camera flash or lighting accessories. Making use of flash in night time photography can help you highlight your subject against the background, avoid unwanted photo graininess and blurs.
How to Use Flash in Night Time Photography
Night time photography and using flash can be quite tricky. To do this properly, make sure that your aperture and ISO settings are ideal based on your light conditions. If you are shooting at the very low light, set your aperture as low as possible, and basic shutter speed settings would be around 10 seconds, with an ISO of 1600. Assist with your flash and adjust accordingly when needed. The camera flash makes sure that even if your shutter speed is low in night time photography, it won’t cause a blur in your photos in case you won’t be working with a tripod. Making use of this trick can help you create nice photo effects.
When to Use Flash Number 3: Fast Speed or Sports Photos
When it comes to sports, fast shutter speed is key to create sharpness even when the subject is fast-moving. It is important to note that sometimes increasing the shutter speed won’t be enough in some situations, and you may need an extra boost of the camera flash to help you out. Since sports and other fast speed photos won’t usually be available for a re-take, make sure that you use the right settings the first time around.
How to Use Flash in Fast Speed or Sports Photography
Aside from increasing your shutter speed, you can set your flash to manual “On.” This means that even if light conditions are ideal without flash, you can still use flash to assist you in having high-quality photos in fast action scenes. This is both applicable to day and night photography for sports events.