Derby Telegraph picture editor Victoria Wilcox looks at how members of our TogsQuad camera club use flash.
ALTHOUGH the sun is shining, using flash can still be a great way of controlling how we want our pictures to look.
Using flash in or outdoors, even in bright daylight, can work well. TogsQuad camera club members have been showing us some excellent examples of how to be clever with light.
Our choice for the flashiest image this week was taken by Michael Kelly (1) in a beautiful summer meadow. He has used a powerful fill-in flash even in daylight.
He used one flash to light up the flowers then triggered another (by firing the on-camera flash) as a sidelight on Karla Tracey, 15, in Wicklow, Ireland. The result? A bright and colourful picture which otherwise could easily have been almost a silhouette against a bright sky.
Phillip Chilton got among the grass for his striking shot of daisies (2) against an infinite blue space. He made this frame in Grangeover Way, Littleover using flash with a powerful but simple result.
Chris Carrington set up a picture of his son Ben in a tunnel at Ticknall (3). He took a light reading for the daylight outside (behind Ben in the picture). Then two flashes were used with the first on the camera illuminating the tunnel foreground to show the supports and the second to expose Ben clearly.
Another composition in the shade is by Mark Averill. He took a bold portrait of wife Jenny (4) on London's South Bank in a dark underground space at a skating park. The blast of flash bounced off the ceiling fell evenly on to Jenny and lit the bold graffiti at the same time.
Peter Edges played around with a flash unit positioned to the side of his shot that has square shapes in it to let the light through. The picture of model Sammi Angel in a studio setting (5) is eyecatching and works well with some of the light positioned on her eyes.
Tracey Bunce's image of an ornate lamppost (6) was taken with forced flash at a wedding reception at Swancar Farm, Nottingham. It works well to retain the colour in the sky, with the camera light bringing out detail in the metal.
Animals can be tricky to photograph. Nick Allen used fill-in flash on this wasp climbing up a bottle (7). The effect is impressive and makes the insect stand out as the extra light in an already bright room separates the shiny surface of the glass under the detail of the creature.
Kate Baker brings us a eureka moment for all dark furry dog owners who are frustrated with never managing to get their beloved pets' eyes clearly in shot. She has photographed her neighbour's German shepherd pup Kohl (8) and used flash to light up his eyes.
LIGHTING TIPS:TO use flash on an automatic camera because you want to, not because it is dark, find the lightning bolt symbol and activate it until you get a forced flash or fill flash mode.
Using a forced flash in bright sunlight can help eradicate those harsh black shadows you see on people's faces when you take their picture in the midday sun, so why not turn it on and see how it looks for a shot or two?
Photographing someone or something in front of a window or a sunset can often result in the camera thinking there is already enough light. Almost always this will mean your subject is in the shadows. Override your automatic camera, turn the flash on and see the difference.
The term to "bounce" flash means to point the head of a flashgun in a different direction other than directly at the subject if you are using one that swivels on top of your camera. This means light bounces off another surface, such as a wall. before it hits your subject. The result is a more diffused and widely spread lighting effect.
To use more than one flash is daunting yet simple with practice. There are small flashguns you can buy which can be triggered by another flash going off, to bring even better effects with light coming from more than one direction.
If you want to see more pictures and get involved, search for "TogsQuad" at derbytelegraph.co.uk.
