Middletown High School North - Photography Class                                    Instructor:  Mrs. Vega

 

FLASH  

                                                                                                                                       

 

FOR AUTOMATIC FLASH SETTINGS

 

1.  MAKE SURE CAMERA SHUTTER SPEED IS SET AT 1/60th SECOND.

        (Shutter speed / mode readout window shows ‘60’)

2.  Make sure film speed (ISO/ASA) setting on flash unit is the same as your film’s ISO/ASA.

3.  Estimate the farthest distance the light will most likely need to travel from your flash unit to your subject. (For BOUNCE FLASH:  Remember --You need to add the distance from the flash to your reflective surface plus the distance from your reflective surface to your subject to get the total distance the light will travel.)

4.  Locate this distance on the flash unit’s distance scale.

        The color that corresponds to this distance is the COLOR CODE you will use.

5.  Turn the dial on the front of your flash unit until that color shows in the automatic flash setting window.

6.  Locate / identify the correct f / stop setting.

       The aperture scale on your flash unit is located directly above the distance scale.

      The correct aperture is the one nearest to the number that corresponds to the distance the light will travel from your flash unit to your subject.

7.  Set the camera lens aperture to the correct f / stop setting and leave it at this aperture setting for all pictures that you take that do not exceed the flash to subject distance that you selected in step 3 above.

8.  Turn on your flash unit.

9.  Turn on your camera’s on / off switch.

10.  You are now ready to take your photograph.

 

FOR MANUAL FLASH SETTINGS

 

1.  MAKE SURE CAMERA SHUTTER SPEED IS SET AT 1/60th SECOND.

        (Shutter speed / mode readout window shows ‘60’)

2.  Make sure film speed (ISO/ASA) setting on flash unit is the same as your film’s ISO/ASA.

3.  Estimate the distance the light will travel from your flash unit to your subject.

        (For BOUNCE FLASH:  Remember --You need to add the distance from the flash to your reflective surface plus the distance from your reflective surface to your subject to get the total distance the light will travel.)

4.  Locate this distance on the flash unit’s distance scale.

5.  Locate / identify the correct f / stop setting.

        The aperture scale on your flash unit is located directly above the distance scale.

        The correct aperture is the one nearest to the number that corresponds to the distance the light will travel from your flash unit to your subject.

6.  Set the camera lens aperture to the correct f / stop setting

7.  Turn on your flash unit.

8.  Turn on your camera’s on / off switch.

9.  You are now ready to take your photograph.

10.  After you have taken your photograph, turn flash unit & camera to ‘off’ position to conserve batteries.

11.  Repeat steps 1- 10 for each flash photograph.

RED-EYE

In color photography, light from the flash may sometimes enter the subject’s pupils and be reflected from the retinas, causing luminous red spots to appear in the subject’s eyes.  (In the case of animals the spots may be green in color, but the effect is similar.)  This effect, called RED-EYE, is most apparent when the flash unit is placed too close to the camera’s lens axis, (as when the flash unit is mounted to the top of the camera or when a built-in flash unit is used).

Several effective methods exist to avoid red-eye:

1.)  Use ‘bounce’ flash.  (Aim the flash toward a ceiling or light-colored wall so that it reflects off the flat surface and ‘bounces’ toward your subject.)

2.)  Photograph subjects when they are looking slightly away from the camera.

3.)  Press the test button on the flash unit a few times before the actual exposure

(This has the effect of causing the subject’s pupil to contract.)

4.)  Mount the flash unit on an extender that removes it at least five inches from the lens. 

5.)  Move the flash unit farther from the lens by using a flash-off-camera technique.

BOUNCE FLASH

A flash unit pointed directly at your subject may give a correctly exposed photo, but harsh shadows may appear behind your subject –especially if the subject is close to a light colored wall.  To avoid this, many flash units are designed to be able to be positioned for “bounce” lighting.  The goal of bounce lighting is to aim the light toward a large area- such as a ceiling or wall where it will spread out and bounce off in a larger, broader but weaker beam of light. 

 

Things to remember…

·         Angle of incidence = angle of reflection; that is, the light will bounce off the surface at the same angle that it hits the surface to begin with.  You need to imagine the path of the light in your mind’s eye so that you can angle your flash unit so that the light will bounce off at an angle that will fall correctly upon your subject and not miss it entirely!

·         The intensity of the light falls off as it travels over distance.  When calculating which aperture to use for your camera setting remember to estimate the whole path of the light (distance the light will travel)– from flash unit to ceiling & from there back down to your subject.

·         The bounce surface needs to be smooth and light colored, otherwise the light won’t bounce off it correctly.