Learn Photography Master Thread

[moish]

you should generally try to stay away from the built in flash

[Something Fishy]

you should generally try to stay away from the built in flash

Sure, if you have a better choice. But sometimes you need flash, and then an on-camera flash is better than nothing.

[Dan]

you should generally try to stay away from the built in flash

If you're taking pics of food indoors then you need the flash IMHO.

[sky121]

If you're taking pics of food indoors then you need the flash IMHO.

With the nex 6? I'd imagine you can get by without the flash in many indoor situations, no?

[Dan]

With the nex 6? I'd imagine you can get by without the flash in many indoor situations, no?

Depends on ambient lighting, etc.
But from our Banff hotel room without and with flash:

[jaywhy]

Sure, if you have a better choice. But sometimes you need flash, and then an on-camera flash is better than nothing.

Is there a diffuser for the built in flash?

[rots5]

Is there a diffuser for the built in flash?

most new cameras have the option

[Something Fishy]

There are two things involved in the use of flash - quantity and quality of the light.

You're saying that sometimes you need more quantity of light - it's simply too dark. Sky121's got a valid point too - if you raise the ISO on the Nex6 you could get some pretty high quality shots without using the flash at all. What neither of you are addressing is the quality of the light, which is far more important than the quantity.

Moish on the other hand is talking only about the quality, not quantity, so his point is correct too.

This discussion could cover a few full length lessons (and it iy"h will eventually), but the main idea is that while you may have a picture that has the right amount of light, said light may not be very pretty.

Look at the two pictures in your post above - while the second one now has the correct amount of light, at the end of the day the pictures aren't too pretty. They get the point across, of course - "here's what we ate, this is what it looked like", but if you'd pay attention to the quality of light the pictures could be some much better. For example, compare these two pictures (both from your Banff TR):



A plate of food, carpet bombed with light - direct, straight-on, point-blank harsh light.



Look at the fruit plate here, and notice the difference. The light is not coming from the front, but rather from the upper left. It's coming from a fairly large source (probably a fluorescent fixture), from a good couple of feet away. The end result is a much prettier light. Look how the fruits have dimensionality to them - every grape is distinct, each with it's own highlight and shadow; look at the soft shadows on the orange, slowly fading from light to dark. You could see every seed on the strawberry, and ecen the plate has texture to it. Compare that to the top picture - everything is flat, you don't know where a piece of chicken ends and where the next one begins, and the plate is just blown-out white.

So what happened here? I'm sure you weren't thinking of any of this when you took these pictures. But the basics of light are at play here:

- The larger the light source, the softer the light. A big light fixture is far bigger, thus far prettier, than an on-camera flash.
- The further the light source, the softer the light. Again, the ceiling or vanity light is further than the on-camera one.
- Most importantly, the direction of the light dictates the direction of the shadows. The bigger light, being off to the side, casts everything on the opposite side in shadow, creating dimensionality. The softer the light (larger+further), the more gradual and soft the shadows will be (note the orange).

What this means is that 99% of the time an on-camera flash will give you the worst results of any other lighting technique. Of course sometimes you don't have any other choice - a flatly lit picture is still better than a dark picture (and the two pictures you put in your post are proof of that); but there's usually some things you could do anyway.

Not going into off-camera flash here; let's stick to the basics - you have a plate of food and only a built-in flash. How could you take a well-lit picture?

The simplest answer is not to use the flash at all, and instead use window light. Remember that we want the light to be as soft as possible - cloudy days are best, as are windows with indirect sunlight. The light will hit the plate at an angle, creating directional shadows. Since the light is already soft, these shadows will be soft automatically. Worried that the other side of the plate will be too dark? Pick up you menu and put it on the opposite side of the plate - it'll act as a reflector and bounce some light back onto the dark side to open up the shadows.

What if it's nighttime? First, you could still simulate window light (to a degree) with your phone or ipad: turn the brightness all the way up, get a white screen (a new internet tab usually does this), and hold it 2-3 feet away (further with an ipad). It's not as good as a real window, but it's usually better than straight on flash.

In the worst case, when you do have to use the on-camera flash, you wan't to make sure that the light is as soft as possible (nothing you could do about direction). All you really need is a white napkin. Hold it a few inches in front of the flash, and viola - instantly better pictures.

In summary - the on-camera flash should only be used when you really have no other choice, and even then you should always try to diffuse it as much as possible. However, it can't be denied that it's a very useful tool and worth paying for in a camera.

On a side note, there is one situation when the built-in camera really shines. Paradoxically, it is usually the last place someone would actually think of using it - in bright sunlight. How many times have you taken a picture of someone standing in front of a beautiful lake or beach, only to have the subject come out as a silhouette? Since the camera usually tries to expose for the entire scene, it'll underexpose the person, since they're such a small part of it. However, if you force your flash to fire, it'll deliver just enough light to brighten up the person, while not affecting anything else.

[Something Fishy]

most new cameras have the option

No cameras have a diffuser option - the diffuser is an external part:




You're probably talking about lowering the flash power - this may help a drop, but the quality will usually be the same (just a little less bright).

[Yeki89]

u make me hungry!
beauty pic.

I assume raising the ISO is the trick in not having lighting equipment, and not wanting to use the flash.
What about the shutter speed?

How can I know which one to play with more?

[rots5]

No cameras have a diffuser option - the diffuser is an external part:




You're probably talking about lowering the flash power - this may help a drop, but the quality will usually be the same (just a little less bright).

so what the option on my camera to lessen the amount of light the flash lets off? sorry if i mis informed ppl here... my bad

[Something Fishy]

I assume raising the ISO is the trick in not having lighting equipment, and not wanting to use the flash.
Not quite; high ISO is an exchange for using the built-in flash for light quantity, bit it won't do anything for quality. Nothing will replace probed lighting equipment, mainly for quality but also for quantity.

What about the shutter speed?
How can I know which one to play with more?
These questions are about the basics of exposure; I'll cover them in depth in the coming classes. For now let's just say that for every stop you raise your ISO (100 to 200, etc.) your shutter speed will be one stop faster (1/100 to 1/200). What to use depends on the situation. Usually you'd want the slowest shutter speed you could and not get blur, and keep the ISO low. If your shutter speed get's too slow then it's time to start raising your ISO.

[rots5]

can we have that coming class maybe on thurs or monday after succot?

[Something Fishy]

so what the option on my camera to lessen the amount of light the flash lets off? sorry if i mis informed ppl here... my bad

That's the flash power (called flash compensation on some cameras). Most DSLRs let you adjust it from -3 to +1 power in auto or program modes, and from 1/1 (full power) to 1/64 in manual modes (you could use a manual flash together with auto or program exposure modes usually).

[moish]

alternatively, gary fong makes a diffuser for slr built in flash

[Something Fishy]

alternatively, gary fong makes a diffuser for slr built in flash

Many people do, in all types of types and price ranges. Most of those work great (I've tested most of them and own a good 4-5 different types). And of course they're more convenient than a napkin .

But for some cameras (like the Nex 6), there's nothing commercial available, hence the napkin.

[moish]

Many people do, in all types of types and price ranges. Most of those work great (I've tested most of them and own a good 4-5 different types). And of course they're more convenient than a napkin .

But for some cameras (like the Nex 6), there's nothing commercial available, hence the napkin.

is there a problem with color correction?

[Something Fishy]

is there a problem with color correction?

Not if you use a white napkin.

[moish]

Not if you use a white napkin.

how is that different than using a ping pong ball (which is a problem)

[Something Fishy]

how is that different than using a ping pong ball (which is a problem)

Why would a ping pong ball be a problem?