PCPhoto

Trade Tricks: Got A Light?

Control contrast and color with your built-in flash

By Ibarionex R. Perello, Photography by Ibarionex R. Perello

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By using the camera’s fill-flash mode, the flash will cast just enough light to produce detail in these shaded areas by reducing the contrast. With an effective range of up to 12 feet on average, the built-in flash reduces the harshness of direct light and produces a more pleasing photograph. An auxiliary flash may have more power and provide a greater effective range.

Boosting Color
On an overcast or cloudy day, the light becomes more diffused. This reduces the high-contrast problem and creates a more flattering light for many subjects, especially people. Colors don’t have the pop that’s normally evident when they’re hit by strong directional light, however. Yet it’s still the built-in flash that makes all the difference.

In this case, the camera’s built-in flash will brighten and increase the saturation of colors. This can be particularly effective with close-up photographs where the flash can draw the attention to the most important elements of your subject.

With no fancy calculations and with the mere depression of a button, you can achieve better photographs at any time of the day.

Tricks Of The Trade

Your camera’s pop-up flash is ideal for controlling contrast, but if you don’t have one, you can use a simple reflector. Pros will use anything, from a white card to a special gold-colored reflector to add some fill light into shadow areas.

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