Aditya Nair shows you the basic problems you can encounter while using a flashgun and how to overcome them.
1. Accidental Overexposure:
While flash lets you illuminate subjects, it is quite easy to overexpose, especially the highlights. Use flash compensation to reduce the power of the flash or a white cloth to diffuse the flash for a more pleasing effect.
Photograph/Raj Lalwani
2. Varying Colour Temperatures:
Flash has a colder colour temperature than street lights. If you want to retain the warmth of these ambient lights, you can place an orange gel or gelatin paper in front of the flash.
Photograph/Raj Lalwani
3. Balancing Ambient Light and Flash:
Slow Sync flash lets you capture ambient light by using a relatively slow shutterspeed. The flash will freeze the subject in the foreground keeping it sharp. The Night Portrait mode can also be used to create this effect.
Photograph/K Madhavan Pillai
4. Get Everything Right Before you Shoot:
When using flash, your subject may not be forgiving enough to give you a second chance. So, get the focus, exposure and framing perfect before you shoot. Maybe even take a test shot without firing the flash to ensure everything else is the way you want it. Then switch on your flash and fire away!
Photograph/K Madhavan Pillai
5. Subjects That Move:
Use a Rear Curtain flash (learn this technique) to capture moving subjects. Frame the subject towards the end of the exposure. That way even if the flash startles the subject or it moves, the image is still sharp.
Photograph/Raj Lalwani
For more creative ideas on using your onboard flash read this.
This article originally appeared in the September 2014 issue of Better Photography.