Hey guys. I thought I'd share a little trick I figured out. Instead of starting a new thread, I thought I'd share it here.
A short lesson in photography first. As is the purpose of the thread.
Flash
Intro
Flash is your friend. If you don't have enough light to see every nook and cranny of your subject, chances are your camera won't either. So naturally, if you have common sense, would to be to create more light, if its outside then you obviously can't turn the sun up. So you would turn to your flash. BUT, reader beware, the built in flash usually does a terrible job.
Symptoms of Bad Flash
There are a few things to look for to determine if the photo has a bad flash.
"Flash Burn", as it is known, can show up in a photo as a part of a photo washed out with a white glare. You obviously wont see the detail in that part of the image.
Sharp Flash is when the source of light is so direct that there are little to no shadows. When there are shadows they contrast greatly and make the photo an eyesore. a sharp flash will also only illuminate what it is directly pointed at. This leaves the surrounding edges of the photo under exposed or the central part of the photo will be overexposed.
Redeye is a problem all of us have encountered whether it be you or a demonic looking friend of relative (ie
) It has to do with light bouncing off the back of your eyes. The reflection appears red and evil.
Remedies
A diffuser is an opaque material that goes in front of a flash to disperse the light more evenly on a shot. They are usually white to get the best white balance effects but colored diffusers exist for specialized cases. They will greatly reduce flash burn and sharp flash.
A bounce light is another practical solution. This isn't recommended for the average joe trying to take a photo. Flashes can get very expensive very fast and a lot of point and shoots do not even have the proper shoe mount on top. However a bounce light will greatly reduce flash burn and sharp flash. The way it works is by bouncing light off a ceiling to diffuse light and illuminate the subject from the top. So this method obviously won't work outside or places with high ceilings. But most can point forward like a regular flash.
Multiflash and preflash can reduce redeye. How it works is before the photo is taken, the flash will flicker to reduce the chances of blinking in the photograph and dilate the pupils to reduce reflecting light from the eyes. If your camera cannot do this, simply take more than one photo. Eyes should adjust by the time the thrid shot comes around. (if your not using continuous drive
)