Have you ever wondered why your pictures turn out dark or cast deep dark shadows when taking pictures? I am not a professional photographer but I have learned a thing or two in taking pictures. Most people who are not photographers, but like to take lots of pictures of family members and pets don’t understand what they are doing wrong when their pictures turn out poorly. The answer to the question is that they are using flash when it is not needed. By knowing when to use the flash as a fill-in will give you better results. So, I am going to explain what I have learned about using flash as fill-ins when taking pictures. By trying these few techniques you will get better results with your own pictures.
You may think flash is used only when it is too dark in room, right? Well, you’re right to an extent. Flash is really meant to be used as a fill-in light not as a light source and the distance to your subject may also play a big part in the image too. Let’s say you’re at your child’s basketball game high up in the bleachers and you want some pictures to put in his/her photo album. You may think flash is needed but if there’s a lot of light and your subject is at a distance you can turn off the flash to get better results. You may also find that by using the flash at a distance had no effect on your subject. Another example, let’s say you’re at a football game and you want a picture of a football player coming out of the locker rooms and your only light source is the sun. You’re down on the field and you have only one chance to capture the moment. At this point you have to decide whether or not to use the flash. If you take the shot without the flash the players face will be too dark with no detail. This is caused by the sun casting a shadow over the players face from his helmet. But this can be avoided by using the flash to fill in the shadows the sun is casting on the subjects face evenly to have a more dramatic appearance. I am always taking test shots to find the best picture so, take some test shots first with and without the flash to determine if fill-in is needed.
Also, you may notice nasty dark shadows behind subjects in your photos. This is caused either because of poor lighting conditions or because the flash was used when it was not needed in good lighting conditions. It could also be that subjects are too close to each other. For example, taking a picture in your living room during early morning, late afternoon or on an over cast day would not be a good idea because your light source is very poor. This can be avoided by taking the picture during mid-day on a bright sun shiny day with all the curtains open and with no flash you won’t get those harsh, nasty looking shadows. Also, separate your background and your subject to avoid background shadows. But don’t be afraid to use flash fill-in on an over cast day because you can have your subject stand out amongst a crowd.
These are some techniques I have learned when taking pictures. Use them wisely and you will be taking pictures like the pros. But remember there is much more to taking pictures than just learning how to use the flash but that will be another article in the making.
Copyright © 2006 Lonnie Niver, All rights reserved.
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