Page 138 - (DK) Advanced Photography Guide

136 EXPLAINING | BUILT-IN FLASH

WHAT IS BUILT-IN FLASH?

With a few exceptions, most compact and means that there are limits to what it can do.
compact system cameras (CSCs) come with a You have to stay relatively close to your subject
built-in flash. These flashes are not particularly to avoid underexposure—usually within 10ft
powerful, but they do have a number of uses, (3m), depending on the aperture and ISO
such as providing a fill-in light or wirelessly settings that you have selected. The flash
triggering a compatible external flash. In low exposure generally defaults to TTL (automatic)
light, the built-in flash can often serve as an when the built-in flash is used, and the exposure
autofocus-assist light, to provide sufficient is modified with flash exposure compensation,
lighting for the camera to be able to focus. but most DSLRs and CSCs also let you set the
However, the built-in flash’s lack of power exposure of the built-in flash manually.

Using a built-in flash FILL-IN LIGHT
In automated exposure modes, the built-in flash fires
automatically when light is low. Exceptions to this are
modes such as No Flash, where the flash is turned off
completely and cannot be used. You have greater
control in modes such as Program, when the flash
can either be set to fire automatically or is turned
off until you either activate it or raise it manually.
A built-in flash produces a frontal light, which is not
always an ideal form of lighting. The small size of a
built-in flash makes it hard—but not impossible—to
modify. You can attach small diffusers over the flash
to help soften the light, or angle small pieces of white
cardboard in front of it to create a bounce flash
effect, which also makes the light softer. A fill-in light is used to light subjects in shadow or to reduce
contrast. A built-in flash is ideal for this when you are shooting
backlit subjects, as long as the camera is close to them. The
RED-EYE REDUCTION one drawback to using the built-in flash as a fill-in is sync
speed. When the ambient light levels are high, the required
If you use direct flash to light a human or animal that is shutter speed may be higher than the camera’s sync speed.
looking straight at the camera, you run the risk of causing Reducing the ISO to its minimum, using a smaller aperture,
red-eye—the flash turns the pupils of the subject’s eyes red, or using an ND filter to lower the shutter speed will help.
creating an unnatural effect. Red-eye is caused by light
from the flash bouncing off blood vessels at the back of BEST FOR
the subject’s eyes. To combat this, a camera’s red-eye
reduction mode fires a burst of light from the flash just ◾ ◾ Adding light to a backlit subject
before exposure. This makes the subject’s pupils contract, ◾ ◾ Illuminating subjects in shadow
minimizing the likelihood of red-eye. ◾ ◾ Adding sparkle to a subject’s eyes

US_136-137_Explaining_Built_in_Flash.indd 136 05/02/2018 14:36