It’s Tuesday which means it’s time for photography tips! I don’t know about you, but I am PSYCHED that this is week four, because I am so tired of looking at this Bad Picture. Egads. It is now posted FOUR TIMES in my pretty little blog.
For anyone new to the party, this month I’m going over two photos: one good, and one bad, and analyzing a few easy to change things that make the good one different from the bad. We could very easily go longer than four weeks, but, like I said, I am sick to death of these pictures, so it’s time for a change next week!
For one last time, we have the good picture:
And the bad:
Simple Tip - Your Camera’s Flash Sucks
Whether you have a $1000 camera, or a $200 camera, the flash that comes on it sucks. It is very good at exposing your subject correctly, but it is awful at making the photo look natural or beautiful.
All you need to do is look at The Bad Photo and you know instantly that my on-camera flash fired. Why? Nic has a white spot on his forehead (called a hot spot) and there is a horrible shadow behind his head.
In The Good Photo, no flash has fired. His skin looks nice, and there are no unsightly shadows.
In some situations, you absolutely couldn’t take a picture with a point-and-shoot without using a flash. But many cameras fire the flash almost always, regardless of whether or not it is needed. An easy way to make your pictures better is to turn off the flash. Indoor nighttime shots will take on an orange tone, but that isn’t undesireable–in fact, it will usually make you feel warm and cozy about the photo, because in that moment the light was nice and warm and orangey.
Step it Up - Make Your Flash Rock
As much as flash *can* suck, flash can also rock. There are as many things to learn about using as flash as there are about rocket science, and it all starts with getting an external flash. If you have a dSLR, you’re going to want to pick up an external flash. They aren’t super pricey (if you’re a nikon shooter, you can pick up this little baby for $100). The cool thing about external flashes is that the head can be rotated. Why is this cool? Because it enters you into the world of bouncing flash.
When you fire your flash directly at your portrait subject, the light source is small. If you turn your flash head toward the wall behind you (and in front of your subject), the light will bounce off the wall and then hit your subject. Instead of having a small flash-sized light source, you now have a light source the size of the wall! It’s like having a giant soft-box at your disposal.
Soft light is more flattering, won’t give you those “hot spots” like you see on Nic’s forehead in The Bad Photo, and avoids hideous flash shadows.
For more on flash and cool lighting, check out any of these sites (be prepared to start buying more strobes and accessories just as quickly as you collect lenses):
Strobist
Flash Flavor
Scott Kelby
