The aim of this project is to make the student aware of how built-in flash (or a small extra on-camera flash) can be used, and some potential pitfalls of this type of flash.
Shiny surfaces are difficult to photograph, as they reflect the light - I really noticed this when doing the final part of this project, which was photographing an object against a bright window - the flash was reflected in the window! I could crop my images to remove the flash, but it is fine for the purposes of this project. In photo 3 the light is reflected from the spoons but the effect is not so harsh - so in some instances the reflecting effect can be good, even interesting.
Photo 1
 |
| From Project_61 |
50mm, f/1.8, 1/180s, ISO100, flash pointing at subject
Photo 2
 |
| From Project_61 |
100mm, f/2.8, 1/180s, ISO100, flash bounced from ceiling
Photo 3
 |
| From Project_61 |
100mm, f/2.8, 1/180s, ISO100, flash pointing at subject
Photo 4
 |
| From Project_61 |
100m, f/2.8, 1/180s, ISO100, flash bounced from ceiling
The shadows can be quite harsh when the flash is pointing directly at the subject, for example in Photo 1. This effect is lessened when the flash is pointing at the ceiling, though perhaps I am too close to the subject in Photo 2 for this to work well. When photographing a painting (Photo 5 and 6), the textures on the painting are seen if the flash is pointed directly at the photo, whereas the light is softer when the flash is pointed at the ceiling.
Photo 5
 |
| From Project_61 |
100mm, f/2.8, 1/60s, ISO100, flash pointing at subject
Photo 6
 |
| From Project_61 |
100mm, f/2.8, 1/60s, ISO100, flash bounced from ceiling
Only one plane within the photo can be lit when using on-camera flash, certainly when pointing directly at the subject. I have photographed a mobile hanging in our flat (photos 7 and 8). When the flash is pointing at the mobile only it is lit, whereas when I point the flash at the ceiling, both the mobile and wall behind (about 2m away) is lit. In this case, the former is better because the mobile is more isolated and because it is bright and colourful it stands out against the dark background.
Photo 7
 |
| From Project_61 |
100mm, f/2.8, 1/60s, ISO100, flash pointing at subject
Photo 8
 |
| From Project_61 |
100mm, f/2.8, 1/60s, ISO100, flash bounced from ceiling
Light falls of exponentially, so the flash needs to be quite powerful to light an object more than a few meters away, thought this has the advantage that at that distance the flash won't overwhelm the photograph, as it does when shooting very close to the subject. Photo 9 is taken with the lens as close as it can focus - the teddy is very bright and quite harshly lit. In photos 10 and 11 I have stepped about 1 1/2m back from the subject and used similar settings. Photo 10 is directly comparable, with the flash pointing directly at the subject, and the light is much softer and more pleasant. In Photo 11 I have pointed the flash at the ceiling which makes the light reflected off the sofa have fewer harsh shadows. The whole photo is more evenly lit in this case, and looks much more naturally lit.
Photo 9
 |
| From Project_61 |
70mm, f/2.8, 1/4s, ISO500, flash pointing at subject
Photo 10
 |
| From Project_61 |
70mm, f/2.8, 1/4s, ISO500, flash pointing at subject
Photo 11
 |
| From Project_61 |
70mm, f/2.8, 1/4s, ISO500, flash bounced from ceiling
From the above, I can see that in general it's better to point the flash away from the subject, for more even, natural lighting. I also have a diffuser for my flash head which gives a similar effect. Sometimes pointing the flash directly at the subject is good for making the subject stand out against the background, isolating it. This depends completely on the subject in question and the aim of the photograph.
For the final part of this project, I photographed one scene which was backlit (against a bright reflective window!) to see the effect of using fill-flash. Photo 12 has no flash - here the bamboo is almost silhouetted against the buildings in the distant background. With a full flash pointing directly at the window the plant is nicely lit, though the reflection from the window is not very attractive (Photo 13). I then tried keeping the same flash setting and changing the exposure of the photo - Photo 14 is -1EV, and Photo 15 is -2EV. These have the effect of keeping the light on the plant quite constant (influenced by the flash) but making the background darker. Though they are impacted in this case by the flash reflecting on the window, this effect could be useful in other situations to make the subject stand out against a busy background. Photo 16 and 17 are slightly different- keeping the exposure correct and reducing the flash output, first to -1stop and then -2stop. I think this is not as effective with this subject, but again could be useful to have some extra light on a subject (eg a person) without overwhelming the photo with the flash. I then tried pointing the flash at the wall (Photo 18) and ceiling (Photo 19). I think these are the most effective in terms of natural, even lighting (as with my earlier finds for this project). In Photo 18 the light comes from the left and so is flattering on the smooth curves of the plant, without harsh shadows. In Photo 19 the light comes slightly from above, and so while the lighting is not as interesting as in Photo 18, it is even and not harsh.
Photo 12
 |
| From Project_61 |
57mm, f/5.6, 1/30s, ISO500, no flash
Photo 13
 |
| From Project_61 |
57mm, f/2.8, 1/180s, ISO500, flash pointing at window
Photo 14
 |
| From Project_61 |
57mm, f/4, 1/180s, ISO500, -1EV, flash pointing at window
Photo 15
 |
| From Project_61 |
57mm, f/5.6, 1/180s, ISO500, -2EV, flash pointing at window
Photo 16
 |
| From Project_61 |
57mm, f/5.6, 1/45s, ISO500, flash -1EV, flash pointing at window
Photo 17
 |
| From Project_61 |
57mm, f/5.6, 1/45s, ISO500, flash -2EV, flash pointing at window
Photo 18
 |
| From Project_61 |
57mm, f/2.8, 1/180s, ISO500, flash bounced from wall
Photo 19
 |
| From Project_61 |
57mm, f/2.8, 1/180s, ISO500, flash bounced from ceiling
There is much to take away from this project. Playing with the on-camera flash makes me more comfortable with its use (though not with the manual settings of my 580 which are still a challenge to be faced!). I think that I'll try playing with the exposure settings of both the flash and camera and probably use the flash a bit more in my photography. It would be good to try using it more when I'm out and about photographing on the street - I think there are many cool effects that can be done with the on-camera flash. It's also been a good project to learn about the limitations of the flash too. I have a cord that I can use to take the flash off the camera, but I would prefer to be able to do this wirelessly, so I might try to pick up a cheap wireless controller some time. This would open up more creative solutions for the flash. As I am coming to the end of TAOP I need a new challenge (apart from the P&P course!), so perhaps I will try to master a bit better my artificial lighting skills.
No comments:
Post a Comment