Night time 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.
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
favourite 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.
Advanced
techniques
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.
Get Close
Since the early roots of
photography, people have been fascinated with capturing the world up close. Most
digital cameras come with a macro mode that allows you to get very close to
your subject. Sometimes, this mode is simply called "close-up" and is
denoted by a flower icon on your camera. Depending on your camera, close
can be defined as anything from 6 to 18 inches. But what if you want to see the
very pores? This tip will help you get started.
Here are a few ways to get these types of startling shots.
The first way is to buy a macro lens that is designed specifically for
this type of shooting. Unfortunately, these lenses are often quite pricey.
A second option is to buy extension tubes for your DSLR. An extension
tube is a light-tight tunnel that extends the distance from your lens to
the camera body, thereby increasing magnification--the greater the distance,
the more magnification. But what if your digital camera isn't an SLR or doesn't
take interchangeable lenses?
The third, and most affordable, option is to buy a close-up lens that
mounts on top of your current lens, the same way that filters attach. Some
cameras have adapters for these auxiliary lenses. But if yours doesn't,
third-party manufacturers such as Raynox
have devised clever workarounds to enable this capability on just about any
digital camera. The advantages are that you don't have to buy a whole new lens
and you can use the close-up lens with any camera, including an SLR.
A couple of things to note:
Shooting 1 inch away from a subject is tricky because the lens has very little tolerance for being even a little too far or too close to the object. If you move out of that 1-inch in-focus area, your object will quickly get soft. This means that to take really good shots you need to mount your camera on a tripod.
Find a good location to shoot the object. Place the object on a table with a white background, either cloth or paper. Ideally, you want your camera to be facing straight at the object. So get a chair and sit down in front of your camera.
One advantage to shooting with a tripod is that you can have long exposures without having to worry about camera shake. To be safe, either use a shutter cable or, if your camera can't accept one, the built-in self-timer. Even the shake from holding down the shutter button can blur the image.
Before taking your shot, it's a good idea to measure the white-point of the image and set your camera accordingly. This will save you lots of colour-balancing work later in Photoshop. For most digital cameras, this is done by selecting the Measure White-point feature on your camera and holding the shutter halfway down. The camera will then measure the light of your image and base the white-point on the particular lighting you are using. If you can't measure the white-point manually, some cameras will let you choose from a menu of presets, such as Tungsten, Fluorescent, or Daylight. Set your camera appropriately to get the best color balance possible.