Portraits and flash

On-camera flash tends to produce direct, harsh, lighting and 'red-eye'. It is fine for producing fun-shots or essential point-and-shoot records. However, it is very difficult to manage to produce quality, formal portraits.

Before using on-camera flash, consider using faster film and/or a tripod. It will take practice but you will be surprised and delighted with the results. If you do have to use on-camera flash, try these tips:

Remove the flash from the camera and use an extension lead or a 'slave' to fire the flash

Swivel the flash to bounce light off a sidewall or ceiling

Use a diffuser to slightly soften the intensity

Use an extender and mini-softbox on your camera

Flash, when used as fill-in flash is an effective method of reducing contrast. Although most modern cameras have a 'fill-in flash' mode, almost none do it with accuracy. It requires a manual operation and a detailed understanding of contrast control and flash power. 

In simple terms, your fill-in flash should be 1-2 stops lower than the highlight reading on the face. This takes a fair bit of practice to measure and get consistently correct.