A flash for success!
Welcome to the third post in the ‘Basic Tips for P&S users’ guide. This week, we cover the ominous topic of…flash photography.
Using on-camera flash is something that appears to have just as many supporters as those who frown upon it, and its easy to see why. It is super-bright (or not bright enough, depending on your distance to the subject), harsh and is capable of completely washing out and flattening your image to a point where it looks absolutely horrid. To add insult to injury, some ‘genius’ (and I *do* mean that in a pejorative sense) somewhere along the line decided that it would be alright for the flash to appear to the SIDE of the lens.
(Not all cameras have this problem…mine does, however, and the only way around the lens shadow that is cast is to zoom into the image like so)
Look at the image on the left - see how some parts of the image are so overexposed (have been subjected to too much light during the taking of the shot) that they have lost all detail? Without getting into the technical jargon and details, I would think that anyone viewing this photo would think it quite unattractive…and that’s not just because I took it right now and couldn’t be arsed with setting up a pretty shot 
DSLR camera users are quite lucky - they have a range of different flash options available to them. They can use the on-camera flash, use an attached flash (usually mounted with something like a ‘hotshoe‘) or an off-camera flash connected to the camera with a wire. As for us point-and-shoot users? Well, the on-camera flash is pretty much it…and though more and more p&s cameras these days are being sold with ‘hotshoe’ mounts, are we really looking to invest over US$200 for a fancy flash setup that will probably be bigger and weigh more than the camera itself?
Well, let me put it this way…if you’re serious enough to want to invest in a seperate flash unit, you should put the money towards the purchase of a dSLR and start buying the expensive attachments after you’ve got the equipment to make it worthwhile.
So, our on-camera flash. Depending on how much control the manufacturer has decided to give you, you can control any number of things about it - it is either just a function you can turn on/off, or you can control the strength of the flash, or you can fiddle with things such as flash (exposure) compensation and 1st/2nd curtain. Since I’m using the manual of my old Olympus mju 600 as a standard guide for available functions (my current camera is a high-end p&s that gives me a lot more manual control than your standard camera), I’m going to assume that most people just do the turn on/turn off thing.
Alright, now I know this guide is meant to be working with what you have, but in order to really make the most of your on-camera flash, you’ll need to spend a few dollars - about $10 - $15 should do it. And what do you spend it on? Look at the image to the left…
Miniature tripod - approx 15cm long with flex legs, cost AU$9.00
One sheet of white tissue paper - AU$0.25
One small sheet of white cardboard - about A5 size, cost AU$0.50
It costs more to go see a movie.
The tripod is the black octopus-like thing in the forefront, and the tissue square and cone were made out of the tissue paper and cardboard. The problem with flash is that the direct light is ALL forced forward, and this is what flattens the image, making it lose its details and shadows and basically making it unattractive. The tissue paper acts as a diffuser and softens as well as spreads out the light to provide far more palatable results.
Now, diffusers can be bought and generally aren’t too expensive…but when you can do almost as good a job with an itty bit of tissue paper, there’s really not much need for the extra equipment! Besides, tissue paper is cheap, easy to transport and, best of all, easy to replace!
The square is a piece of tissue paper folded a few times so its about4 layers thick, then cut to fit into the coin section of my wallet with the edges taped to keep the sheets together. The cone is just a rolled piece of white cardboard the same length as my camera lens (any longer and it will cast a shadow when the flash is used), with the large end covered in a few pieces of tissue paper and taped together. As for the results…?
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Yay, mood lighting! Taken in my lounge room with all curtains drawn and dimmed lights, and all settings on auto with flash forced off. Mmm, tasty… |
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ISO: 200 White Balance: Manual EV: +1 Flash: Forced off I’ve set the white balance and exposure compensation…this would actually be a passable shot with a little fiddling in Photoshop afterwards, but since we want to explore flash, lets continue on! |
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ISO: 200 White Balance: Manual EV: +1 Flash: On Eww. Just…ewww. There are no words. |
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ISO: 200 White Balance: Manual EV: +1 Flash: On Diffuser: Tissue paper square, flat against camera’s flash unit Already, we can see how this works - light is far less intense, the colours far more realistic with very little ‘washing out’, and more shadows retained that give the sense of dimension and depth. Isn’t it amazing what a few pieces of tissue paper can do? You can also see the effects of the flash unit being to the side of the lens, the left of the photo is far more illuminated than the right. Ugh. |
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ISO: 200 White Balance: Manual EV: +1 Flash: On Diffuser: Tissue paper square, angled about 45 degrees away from the flash towards the lens Okay, so the paper has been angled slightly too much here as the light is now slightly hitting the right side of the plate instead of centre (which is where I was aiming for). However, I still prefer this shot to the one before as the spread of light across the plate is more even…just from holding the tissue paper square at an angle! |
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ISO: 200 White Balance: Manual EV: +1 Flash: On Diffuser: Tissue paper cone, with the small uncovered opening held directly against the flash Using the cone has bounced more light into the picture and thus is more effective than the plain square of tissue paper. The reason for this is that the white cone traps more of the light and directs it down the cone towards whatever the covered end of the cone is pointed at, whereas when holding tissue paper just against the flash, you completely diffuse the light and its free to go in all directions as it doesn’t have any guidance! |
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ISO: 200 White Balance: Manual EV: +1 Flash: On Diffuser: Tissue paper cone, with the small uncovered opening against the flash at approx. 40 degree angle to camera Ta-da! Even spread of light, still a bit of flash glare on that front bit of carrot, but I can live with that! We’ve got colour, depth, dimension and most of all - it actually resembles food! |
Now, I have to admit that I am one of those people who dislikes using flash, but then again, I have the time and opportunity to take shots when I don’t need it. If you are, for example, a working parent or someone who mostly takes photos of restaurant food (so, basically someone who is shooting in dim dark rooms or at night), then flash may be a necessity. However, now that I’ve shown you what a few dollars, a little time, tissue paper and tape can do, hopefully you’ll be encouraged to make the most of that on-camera flash!
Before I finish this week’s post, I’d like to drop a quick thank you to Kara Zuaro from Chow who featured this series in a DIY food porn post! I’d send her an email directly except that I’ve misplaced her email address, so thanks Kara for thinking these posts worth the mention, and I hope those of you who have been directed here from Kara’s post on Chow have found these posts worthwhile 
Next week I’ll be covering focus…its going to be quite a long lesson, so make sure you come back with a cuppa in hand!
Technorati Tags: food porn, photography, beginner, cameras, point and shoot, guides, flash photography, using flash
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Comments
Tisha Hi Ellie,
I just wanted to thank you again for these tutorials. I had to take pictures the other night indoors after sunset, and your pointers were indispensable. If you like, you can check out my pickle picture on my blog.
Susan from Food Blogga Hi Ellie!
SO glad you’re back! Wow! Thanks for the tutorial. It’s very generous of you to share your illustrations and experiences with us.
Serenity Later Thanks for these wonderful tutorials you’ve posted up Ellie for us camera luddites! This flash one esp is really useful. My food photos are kinda crappy but i do know enough to not overdo the flash thing esp since the food winds up so washed out. My prob has been trying to get a bright enough shot without a flash as my flat can appear quite dark in the evenings (the hours when cooking & tell type of activities are afoot!)
Angie OH MY GOD! YOU ARE BRILLIANT!! I’ve always wondered why your pictures of food were so amazing. Thanks for sharing the secrets.
Belinda Hi Ellie…I wanted to wait until I had time to really comprehend your photography tips before this post, so I’m back today, and want to thank you for sharing the great advice in your tutorial…great job!
hello, i’m delurking in the spirit of ‘The Great MOFO Delurk 2007.’ I found your blog through a friend of mine (GTG aka aunty kant aka Epponnee Rae) and as it combines two of my favourite things, food and photography i have been following it quite closely.
keep up the good work! i’m especially enjoying your tutorials. also, hope your hand has recovered! ouch!