Controlling your On-Camera Flash

Photographer: Al Jurina
Photography 101

If one were to try and count the amount of bad photos taken because of on-camera flash,  they would probably still be counting. Let's face it, on-camera flash photography looks so bad, that people will put up with grainy and blurry photos than to try and use the flash on their camera.

I remember cringing at my own photos when  I saw how terrible they were, using the little pop-up flash on my digital camera. But what can we do? When there's not enough light, there aren't many other options? Well, actually there are, and we will talk about one of them today.

The scenarios are the same: You're at someone's house, an event, or just goofing around at home with your camera. You take a photo and then gasp in horror instantly at the image because you've just created a ghost-zombie out of your subject. The culprit? That little flash. But there's hope. That little flash causes ugly photos, because it is way too potent. You see, camera's are pretty dumb. They have no idea of why you are using the flash. Most of them have no idea how far away your subject is either. They simply know that you want the flash, so they fire away a blast of light which pretty much ruins the photo. 

Flash exposure compensation icon
The solution to this problem is a setting that is available in almost all cameras, called "Flash Exposure Control/Compensation/Value). The setting icon usually looks like a little lightning bolt with a plus and minus sign next to it. To find this feature and adjust it, you will have to consult your manual, but once you do, you will be much happier.  The flash exposure compensation feature allows you to dial down or up, your flash power. Flash too bright? Dial it down and try again. Flash too dark? Dial it up and try again. Learning to change the power of your on-camera flash can do wonders for getting a somewhat decent shot. Now don't expect miracles. Direct flash from a small light source is usually not the best thing to look at, but toning the flash down a little can definitely improve things. Also keep in mind that your little on-camera flash won't light up an entire baseball stadium either. At best, you will be limited to lighting a subject from about 10-15 feet away. We suggest you tinker with your camera settings to find this feature, or check out your manual. Then go experiment in various lighting situations to see how the changes affect things. In future posts, we will talk about other ways of dealing with camera flash to improve your shots. Until then, keep shooting!

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