Tip Tuesday – Just Say NO! To the Flash, That Is!

When anyone asks me for advice on photo taking, the first thing I tell them is to turn off the flash. Whether you are using a Point and Shoot or a DSLR try turning off the flash and see the difference in your image.

Why? Using the flash washes the person out, causes red eye, creates shadows and most importantly, can diminish the “mood” of an image.

Imagine someone blowing out a cake candle. Without the flash, you can see the glow of the candle on their face, further highlighting their expression and the mood of the event. Had it been darker in the room, the mood would have been even more enhanced by the candle lit face.

If a flash were used it would have brightened his face and the glow of the candle light would have overpowered. It would have also caused shadows behind elements in the image. I don’t know about you, but shadows can be quite distracting and take away the focus of the image.

Try taking some images with and without the flash and see the difference. Feel free to leave a comment and provide a link to your image or email me with your images! I would love to see them! =)