Flash Modes - Photography

Flash Modes on Digital Camera

The ﬂash is one of the most underused, underappreciated, and, conversely, overused tools on the camera. In national parks, I often see tourists visiting the sights and shooting photos like crazy at the worst time of day— noon. Invariably, they are disappointed with the washed-out colors and harsh shadows that result. A simple yet highly eﬀective trick in such situations is to turn on your ﬂash.

44 You can also move a bit closer to the person you’re shooting. The ﬂash, even those on the point-and-shoots, will ﬁll the shadows in eye sockets created by the sun directly overhead. This results in a kinder, gentler photo that will make your signiﬁcant other much happier to pose for your endless photos next trip. Moving closer ﬁlls the frame and brings the center

of attention, the main subject, closer to the viewer of the photo. The simple trick here is to “force on” the ﬂash, turning the setting on your controls so the lightning bolt shows in

the display. This makes the ﬂash ﬁre with every exposure, and it’s a great tool for very bright and high-contrast days.

I also see people shooting photos with a ﬂash at night, usually in Program mode, and then wondering why the picture of Uncle Joe looks like he’s ﬂoating in a black universe.

Again, utilizing the Night mode, or slowing down the shutter speed so the exposure on the background is correct, will place the subject in the environment, giving the viewer a sense of place. This is why you shoot such a photo in the ﬁrst place—to communicate that idea.

■ No ﬂash This is good for scenic shots, very wide shots, and shots in which the subject is too far to be lit by the ﬂash. Remember that digital cameras are power- hungry beasts, so the energy you save by not using ﬂash may keep you shooting

at the end of the day. Be wise, and don’t energize (when you don’t need to).

■ Flash This setting is often represented by a lightning bolt. It tells the camera

to ﬁre the ﬂash with every exposure, regardless of other settings.

■ Auto-ﬂash This setting is indicated by a lightning bolt with the letter A beside it. You are turning over control to the camera to decide when you need the ﬂash. The downside to this setting occurs when you are taking an “available light” photo, with hopes of capturing the ambience of the scene, and the ﬂash ﬁres. This not only can disrupt the scene, but the camera (in the Auto mode or Program mode, where this function is applicable) may not go

to a slow-enough exposure to capture the image.

■ Red-eye ﬂash We’ve all seen this: a group stands ready to have its photo taken, and several pulses of light are emitted from the photographer’s ﬂash. The purpose of this light is to force the pupils in the subjects’ eyes to close down, using a series of weak rapid ﬂashes, so the back of the eye with its many blood vessels won’t bounce back a red that

would look great only in a Dracula movie. You may want to tell your subjects that the camera will do this; otherwise, the group might start to walk away after the ﬁrst ﬂash ﬁres!

■ Rear-curtain sync When a photog- rapher is shooting in the dark or near dark, and moving items with lights (a car, for example) are in the shot, using normal ﬂash has inherent problems. The

headlights become streaks of light moving through the body of the car, which looks

very unnatural. The desired eﬀect is to have the lights appear behind the vehicle, in a more natural-looking scene. This is accomplished by using rear-curtain sync, a technical sounding term meaning that the camera is instructing the ﬂash to ﬁre at the end of the exposure, instead of the normal ﬂash time at the start of a longer exposure.