Most Digital Point & Shoot and Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras come with a very advanced built in automatic flash that is tied into the auto exposure system. This flash produces great images most of the time but there are some limitations. Understanding these limitations will help you to get the most out of your digital camera.
One of the most common problems with flash pictures is underexposure caused by too much distance between the flash and the main subject in the photograph. Most built in flash have an effective range of around 10ft -15ft (depending on the camera). If the distance to the main subject is greater than the maximum distance rating for your camera’s built in flash, there is a good chance that the image will be underexposed.
The good news is that there is a simple way to correct this!
Know your camera’s flash range
Make sure when using the built in flash that you are within the range
You can immediately improve the quality of your flash images by following these two rules as you can see by the examples.
Photos By: Mike Lehner
Assignment:
Use your manual to look up the effective range of your digital camera’s built in flash. Take a few pictures using the built in flash while out of range and while in range and compare the images. Do this until you have a good understanding of the effective flash range of your digital camera.