One of the most common problems we encounter when shooting is light, or more accurately, the lack of it. The picture on the right illustrates that point pretty well. Who’s in it? Right now it looks like a black box, but if you set your monitor to maximum brightness, squint your eyes, you’ll see… well… a black box. Fine, it’s not a black box, but it looks like one.

Whatever it looks like, something was supposed to show up in that frame. What was it?

I guess the question should’ve been who, not what. Either way, the answer is JJ, or as many of us fondly call him, Tatang. Tatang is a local term meaning old man. What does this have to do with the lesson? Well, nothing really - but it’s nice to get to know your models.

In any case, the image on the right is an example of how some cameras will deal with darkness. Any image might be better than the black box above, but I don’t think anybody would be very happy with this image either.

Another way that cameras can pick up more light is by using a slower shutter speed. Unfortunately, I don’t have a sample for that right now. The biggest problem with this solution though is blur. To avoid this, you need to have steady hands. If you want, you can also mount your camera on a tripod, GorillaPod, or another device to keep it steady. On top of this your subjects have to stay still for the duration of the exposure. Then again, their movements could look cool, like in this picture.

Direct Flash
Of course, this lesson is entitled Flash Photography, so it’s about time I discuss actual use of the flash. The pictures on the right show how many pictures come out when you turn on the flash built into most cameras.

Fine, I wasn’t using the built-in flash. I had a unit that was strong enough to turn Tatang ghostly white, and even light up the back wall. Most cameras don’t have quite that much power, but they can produce the same effect.

This effect is quite common - so common, in fact, that people have come up with a name for it. It’s called the deer in headlights phenomenon. Others might call it the roadkill look, and I’m sure there other names have been made up to describe the effect. In any case, the effect is not flattering, and it doesn’t look natural.

Bounced Light
One way to get around this is to redirect the light. If you’ve got a strong enough flash, you can point it at the ceiling or a wall. This gives you a more natural-looking light. The ceiling bounce gives the impression of a brightly lit room, while the wall bounce simulates light coming in from a window. Both illuminate your subject better than a direct flash.

The problem with this method is that it usually requires an external flash unit. I say usually because some enterprising individuals have already found ingenious solutions to bounce the built-in flash on some cameras.

The FinnBounce is one such solution. I’ve personally made and used my own FinnBounce, and I tell you - the results are pretty impressive. It requires a pop-up flash though - and not all cameras have that.

Diffused Light
For everybody else, the best thing you can probably do is to diffuse your light. This picture was taken with exactly the same settings as the direct flash pictures you see above. I’m sure you can see, however, that Tatang’s skin tone looks pretty close to natural. You can still see a bit of shine on his face from the flash, but it isn’t that harsh. That’s the result of diffusion.

For this shot, I took some tissue paper that was lying on the table and put it in front of the flash. This was the first shot I took, and I was surprised that I got close to natural skin tone immediately. You might have to play with the paper - folding and unfolding it to find the right amount of light. You might also want to use a white handkerchief, or a napkin, or even a piece of paper.

If you want a slightly more permanent solution, you stick a piece of transluscent tape over your flash. Use something similar to Scotch Magic Tape - that should soften the light from your flash pretty well. If you want even softer light, put another layer of tape on.

Be warned though - diffusing the light will force your flash to fire at higher powers than it normally would. This will drain your batteries faster, and possibly reduce the life of your flash. On top of this, the heat from the flash will eventually warp the tape, melt the glue, and basically render your makeshift diffuser useless. Worse, it might burn the tape or the glue and leave marks on your camera.