Leave the red-eye at home when taking photos with your digital camera
06/22/2006Show another tip
By Derrick Story, CNET Contributor
Level: Intermediate
107 out of 112 users found this tip helpful
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Built-in camera flashes are convenient, but they can produce deadly results--from red-eye to a nuclear-looking, unnatural glow--when used to take pictures of people in low-light situations, such as evening parties. The easiest way to low-light shooting success is to get an external flash, but that's not always practical. So we'll explore some of the common settings on digicams, then talk about advanced techniques with an external flash.
For cameras with hotshoes that accept dedicated external flashes, more options are available. The two most important ones are bounce flash and flash on a bracket.
- Red-eye reduction mode
Avoid using this setting. In theory, using red-eye reduction mode makes sense: shine a bright light in the subject's eyes before exposure to constrict the iris, thereby reducing the chance of reflected red-eye. But it doesn't work out that way. Flashes are annoying anyway, and torturing your subject with additional flash before taking the shot tends to kill spontaneity. Plus, even after you do that, you'll often still get red-eye. It's just not worth it. - Nighttime flash mode
Use this setting for artistic shots. The thinking here is that the camera slows down the shutter speed, allowing you to capture background scenery beyond the flash range, yet the flash still goes off, illuminating subjects within 10 feet. It usually works quite well, but things get crazy if you don't hold the camera really steady or if there's a lot of movement in the scene. So you'll get some absolutely great shots with artistic flair, and you'll get some failures. But it's definitely worth experimenting with. This control is also referred to as slow synchro flash mode.
Hold the camera still, or you'll get streaks and crazy light shows. Of course, maybe you want that. - Flash exposure compensation
Use this setting when the flash is too hot--meaning, your subjects are consistently overexposed (too bright). You can usually find this setting in the menu of options, and it allows you to adjust the intensity of the flash. I recommend you start with a setting of -1 and go from there. - Increase ISO speed
You can use this setting, but remember to return to the default when you're done. By increasing your ISO speed from 100 to 200, 400, or more, you're essentially increasing the sensitivity of your image sensor. The results usually include more background information (so that you don't end up with a pitch-black backdrop) and an extended flash range (from 8 feet to 15 feet or more). Keep in mind that you will get a little more image noise in the higher ISO settings. This isn't much of an issue for 4x6 prints, but it might be noticeable in enlargements, especially in the shadow areas. Also, remember to reset your ISO back to 100 at the end of the party. - Shutter-priority mode
If you're lucky enough to have this setting, try it. This is one of my favorite tricks. Essentially, it allows you to set any shutter speed you want, and the camera then adjusts the aperture and the flash output to match. The default shutter speed in flash mode for most cameras is 1/60 second. If you switch to shutter-priority mode, you can slow down the shutter speed to 1/30 or 1/15 second, and you'll notice a big difference in your shots. Those speeds are long enough to capture much more background information--such as twinkling lights, candles, and such--but not so slow that you get excessive blurring and camera shake. If you combine this technique with increasing your ISO to 200, you'll get some great results. This is a winner for party pictures.
For cameras with hotshoes that accept dedicated external flashes, more options are available. The two most important ones are bounce flash and flash on a bracket.
- Bounce flash
If you're good at playing billiards, you'll understand how to use bounce flash. You'll need an external flash with a head that rotates up and down. Instead of pointing the flash directly at the subject, you point it upward and bounce light off the ceiling so that it rains downward, more like natural sunlight. The light is diffused (softer) and renders much more pleasing skin tones, without the ugly hot spots produced by direct flash. - Flash on a bracket
This trick has been used by wedding photographers for years. You'll need an external flash, a dedicated flash extension cord, and a bracket that holds both the camera and the flash. The thinking here is that you raise the flash above the camera by 6 to 8 inches. By doing so, you completely eliminate red-eye, and you move the shadows produced by flash-illuminated subjects downward and out of the frame. The setup is bulkier than carrying around a pocket digicam, but the results are consistent and professional-looking.
