|
NZ Macguide Issue 7
Fill Flash
Fill flash is a handy way of filling in shadows when shooting people. It's ideal for outside pictures when your subject is backlit. Try this next time you're having a picnic; you're happily ensconced in the shade of a tree, eating your fare while the sun beats down all around. Turn your flash on to fill-in (often symbolized by a single lightning bolt) for shots of your family and friends in the shade of the tree. Fill-in flash balances the picture by filling in the shadow areas cast by that bright sun. A good rule of thumb is to use fill flash when in doubt.
 |
Slow flash gives the best of both worlds |
Slow flash
Another setting becoming more common on digital cameras is a 'slow' flash setting. This is great for including background lighting in lower light situations, like just on dusk or in well-lit cityscapes. I used it at Guy Faulks; so the kids didn't look like they were alone in the dark I set the camera flash setting to slow flash. This did a longer exposure for the low light but fired the flash. The resulting shot looks more natural but shows the sparks flying from the sparklers. You wouldn't use it in pitch black or when there is too little light without mounting your camera on a tripod. It's one of those settings that works really well, or just doesn't work well at all.
To complement this setting some manufacturers are adding second curtain flash to the slow setting. This means the flash fires last and looks more natural when your subject may be moving. Instead of having light trails moving through your subject, they appear to follow.
DPOF
This is a handy setting, and one that's so easy to forget. It's symbolised by a little printer icon. When you preview the image, press the printer icon button. It will come up with a Print and Print-all dialogue box. If you choose print all, it will generally give you two more settings, an option for how many prints you desire, and if you wish the date to be printed. If you take your digital media to a lab, or have a DPOF option on your home printer, the camera card will tell the printer how many prints you want. Don't play with this option if you plan on only printing one image.
It's really handy when you take a shot that your friends also want. Select the number of prints, and that way you won't forget when you go to the lab. Most labs print the date/time info on the back of the print.
Macro photography
All cameras have a minimum focusing distance, but most will focus closer when in their Macro setting. Some cameras even include a Super Macro setting to get in even closer.
 |
Fill flash used in bright daylight |
Consult your camera manual and see how close you can focus. Be surprised by how big a close-up of a bee or other insect looks on the screen. The detail is amazing with even a two million-pixel camera.
Reformat
It pays to reformat your card periodically. Just deleting images gets rid of the pictures, but leaves traces of data that eventually may become a nuisance. Reformatting your card gets rid of all data and lets you start afresh - with more space.
Spot metering
This sets the exposure from only the middle portion of the screen. It's handy when you have a backlit subject (see also Fill Flash). When your subject is backlit the camera's meter thinks there is plenty of light - there is, but it's coming from behind your subject - so the camera thinks it should underexpose. This will leave your subject dark. Fill flash will cure this with a burst of light, balanced against the light from behind - but you may not want that. Spot metering will give you the correct exposure for your subject and overexpose the background, which can give a moody effect.
Self Timer
This lets you get in the picture, but is also handy to use when shutter speeds are slower than 1/60th of a second to avoid your own shutter-pressing action moving the camera slightly and blurring the shot. Put your camera on a tripod - there are some cute table-top tripods around if you don't want to use a larger model. You can also use a folded up jersey or a bean bag to elevate your camera and hold it steady while you take the shot. You'll need a shutter speed of one or two seconds to get the streaky tail-lights of cars. This works really well just on dusk. It's also great for slow shutter speed shots of waterfalls, as it gives that soft furry feel of the water movement. A shutter speed of around a half a second will suffice. Using the self timer gets your hands free of the camera to help avoid camera movement. Use the self timer in conjunction with your remote control should your camera have one.
© Parkside Media 2003
For permission to use this document, email
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/Hide comments
Show/Hide comment form
