[shuttertalk]

After all these years you'd think that the superwhiz engineers would be able to design a flash or onboard camera light source that doesn't wash out the colours, without having to resort to getting an external flash and bouncing it...

Anyway, any tips for flash usage?

[StudioJ]

In-built or camera mounted?

[dewy]

I am guessing he mean In-built flash as his camera has one of those puh button pup up flash thingos =)

[StudioJ]

To be honest I don't know that I have any inbuilt flash tips. :|

[dewy]

I would say, but I am no professional, to try to use Natural Light as much as you can, my flash can sometimes cause bright spots (the 'core' of the flash) and dark parts on the sides. Just my thought tho

[slejhamer]

In-built flash: don't use it for anything but fill flash.

[slejhamer]

And then, only if you have no alternative.

[dewy]

Why two posts?
What is a fill flash?

[Polly]

After all these years you'd think that the superwhiz engineers would be able to design a flash or onboard camera light source that doesn't wash out the colours, without having to resort to getting an external flash and bouncing it...

Anyway, any tips for flash usage?

You have nothing to lose by experimenting with the embedded flash, if that's all you have available.

You could try bouncing it off something opposite or slightly above - eg white paper of maybe crinkled up kitchen foil. Another trick I saw one of my sons using one time - try placing a single layer of tissue over the flash to diffuse the light slightly.

By a single layer of tissue I mean peel the Kleenex, or whatever to separate the layers as the complete tissue may be too thick and would therefore block too much light.

As I said - nothing to lose by experimenting with what you already have

Have fun

Polly

[shuttertalk]

Cool thanks Polly... will try. With digital I guess, you're free to experiment, eh?

[slejhamer]

Why two posts?
What is a fill flash?

I hit 'reply' instead of 'edit'.

Fill flash is when the camera meters for ambient light (as if no flash were being used), and then a very small amount of flash is added so that shadows are lightened up on the primary subject. Some cameras meter for fill flash automatically in certain shooting modes, while with others you have to manually reduce the amount of flash used.

In other shooting modes, when flash is turned on, the camera assumes that the flash is the primary source of illumination and will meter accordingly; if that means the background (ambient light) is underexposed, so be it.

In-camera flashes are okay for fill flash because they are used at low power, adding just a kiss of light, so the typically harsh and flat flash look is avoided.

[dewy]

Ok, thanks for that, might have an experiment later =)

[dewy]

Cool thanks Polly... will try. With digital I guess, you're free to experiment, eh?

Is it possible that the 'flash cube' can 'run out'? my dad said there is only a certian number of flashes in a 'flash cube' :|

[adam]

I would say, but I am no professional, to try to use Natural Light as much as you can, my flash can sometimes cause bright spots (the 'core' of the flash) and dark parts on the sides. Just my thought tho

I only use flash when I need it, then you may ask, when do I need it?
I guess it also depends on what you want it to look like

As mentioned above, you can diffuse or bounce the flash to avoid the bright spots, making the lightning more natural