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Chapter 4: Manipulating the Light > To Use Flash or Not to Use Flash
To Use Flash or Not to Use Flash
Learning to control the flash output of your camera could be the best thing you ever do for your photos. Consult your manual to see if you can adjust your flash output to half power or even turn it completely off. It is almost always a mistake to use your on-camera flash as the main light. After looking at the not-so-flattering images you have captured using just flash, you may think that you never want to use it again, but there are times when flash has its uses, as in the before and after images in 4-7.
4-7
ABOUT THIS PHOTO This photograph shows a before and after example of how fill flash can be used. The midday sun coming in from the side provided the main light, which produced splotchy skin tones and “raccoon eyes,” or shadows beneath the eyes, and made the little girls squint. This is not an ideal time to photograph, but if you must, fill-flash can help. I usually avoid light like this because I prefer not to use flash. Taken at ISO 200, f/9.0, and 1/320 second in Program mode with auxiliary flash set to TTL (through-the-lens). ©Ginny Felch / www.photographingchildren.com