got to keep up: Lesson four: FLASH!

Is the flash your friend or foe?

Sometimes the best combination of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed won't help us get the image we want in low light situations. I have read that it is best to avoid the on board flash whenever possible. But sometimes the use of the flash can really make a positive difference.

Whether you are inside or outside, when should you use the flash?

Indoors: Make sure your subject is as far away from a wall as possible, this will create a shadow. Also, keep your subject at least 5-6 feet in front of you and 5-6 feet of distance behind the subject and the closest wall. Meter on the subject as much as possible. You might lose your background, but your subject won't be overblown.

Outdoors: Flash outdoors?? You may have some situations where your subject is slightly in the shade. This is where fill flash would help. It just "fills" in the areas that may be shadowed or poorly lit.

Weekly Challenge: Experimenting with Fill Flash

I used my friend, Meg, for this exercise. She is a teacher with me and is an all around great girl! She is also a new mom to sweet baby Russ!

The first photo was taken without the flash and the second was taken with the flash. You can use the flash to pop colors on a gray day. It was not a gray day though.

These photos where an attempt to use fill flash to get rid of dark shadows on the face on a bright day. The first photo is without the flash and the second photo is with the flash. Well, I am guessing that the second photo did not come out because I had the camera in A mode and I did not change my fstop to a higher number, therefore it was wide open, getting a ton of light and then I threw the flash in. Yikes!