Sound Image Studio — Have you ever taken a portrait of a friend or family member with on a bright sunny day with a beautiful scenic view behind them, only to get a silhouette of the person?

With most digital cameras, the auto mode senses the amount of light and decides for you if the flash is needed.  When you are outside on a bright sunny day the camera thinks you have plenty of light so the flash won't fire.  If you face the subject away from the sun so they aren't all squinty, their face falls into complete shadow.  The single easiest way to get the beautiful scenic view and a perfect portrait is to simply turn the flash on!

To switch the flash mode from auto to ON, also called fill flash, you just need to press the flash button on your camera.  A typical point and shoot camera will have a few flash modes:

Auto flash- Default mode when you turn the camera on, the symbol is usually the lightning bolt with "A" or "Auto" next to it.

Fill Flash- Symbol is usually just a lighting bolt with nothing else.  THIS IS THE SETTING YOU WANT.  Flash WILL fire when you take the picture.  A typical range of effectiveness is about 15 feet.

Flash Off- Symbol is the lightning bolt with a circle around and a line through it.  This will turn your flash off completely.

Red Eye Reduction- Symbol is the shape of an eye.  Depending on your camera, the flash may flicker a few times before taking the photo, or an LED light will illuminate prior to the picture.  These are designed to dilate the pupils before the photo so less red eye is captured.

When you turn the camera off, it will default back to auto flash the next time you turn it on.  If you have a camera with pre-programmed modes you may have a scenic portrait mode, which will provide a similar result.  This trick will work on any camera with a built in flash, from point and shoots to DSLR's.  Camera phones typically don't have a true flash so your results may not be the same.

the next time you go to the beach, try this out, take one in auto mode and one with fill flash.  you will be able to see the difference right away, and now you know one more trick to improving your photography.

If you like this tip and would like to learn more tricks check back regularly to this blog or come into Sound Image Studio for a personal photography lesson!

Eric Archer

Sound Image Studio

425-361-2781

eric@soundimagestudio.com