No Flash Photography

Often times when you are at a public event, you will hear someone announce, “no flash photography, please.” A lot of people assume that they just can’t use their cameras because their flashes usually fire automatically. This is especially true when you’re indoors with low light.

Last weekend, I enjoyed an acrobatics show on the General Jackson. Before the show began, we were reminded that flash photography was not allowed. I grinned to myself, picked up my camera, and made a few adjustments that I knew would allow me to take great photos without using a flash.

Circumstances like these are why I encourage people to become comfortable with shooting in available light without a flash. Certainly, getting a good exposure will depend on the lens you’re using, but there are a few things you can do on just your camera to overcome low light.

Configuring your camera for low light conditions

One thing that you can change on almost any digital camera is the ISO setting. ISO determines how sensitive your camera’s sensor will be to light. The higher the ISO level, the more sensitive it will be. When you’re shooting in bright, sunny conditions, an ISO of 100 or 200 should work well. Cloudy or shaded areas will probably require at least an ISO of 200, but 400 may work best. If you’re indoors, 400 is probably as low as you’ll want to go. However, just be aware that the higher you set your ISO, the more likely you’ll notice noise in your photos as Mr. Bo has explained in his recent article, ISO Noise.

If you’re using a digital SLR, ISO is only one of the settings you can change to get better low light results. Another element you should consider is the aperture you’re shooting with. The aperture determines how much light will be allowed through the lens. Apertures are measured in f-stops, which are written as the letter f, a slash, and then a number (f/2.8 indicating an aperture of 2.8). Aperture settings usually confuse most beginning photographers because smaller numbers actually mean larger openings. So, an aperture of 2.8 is much larger than an aperture of 11. The thing to remember here is that large apertures (small numbers) will allow you to take better exposures in low light. You can control the aperture setting by using Aperture Priority mode (Av) or full manual mode.[ad name=”468×60″]

Using the right lens for no flash photography

There’s one last thing to consider and it’s tied directly to the aperture settings we just discussed. The apertures that are available to you depends on the lens you use. Some lenses provide larger apertures than others, and you should remember this when you’re packing your camera bag. If your lens indicates a range of apertures (such as: f/3.5-55mm), it is referring to the aperture that is available at a certain focal length. In other words, you’ll be forced to use a smaller aperture when zoomed in and a larger aperture (which is what we’re after) will be available when zoomed all the way out. There are some nice lenses that maintain a constant aperture no matter if it’s zoomed in or out, but they are quite expensive.

If you’re looking for a good, inexpensive lens that has a really large aperture, check out Canon’s 50mm f/1.8.

Benefits of shooting without a flash

Going sans flash doesn’t have to be an annoyance. Personally, I think it’s a great way to learn how to use your camera (I’m referring to those of you who have a digital SLR, by the way). But before I go further (and before I get 100 flaming comments from you strobist fans), I am in no way saying that flashes don’t have their place in photography; that would be a ridiculous statement. What I’m trying to do is to keep new users from abusing the flash that was oh-so conveniently installed on their camera.

So, what are the benefits of leaving out the flash?

• No red eye – Red eye got you down? Tired of having to touch up every picture you take? Simply put, you will not have to deal with red eye if you’re not using a flash. Ever.
• No shiny spots – This is something that your average person doesn’t really pay attention to. When you shoot with a flash, you stand the risk of washing out your subject. This is usually most noticeable on a person’s forehead, cheeks, and chin.
• Covert candids – I have a few camera shy family members, so I usually have to sneak around with my camera and snap pictures from across the room. Using a flash is the best way to announce to the room that you’re taking pictures and to make the camera-wary turn their backs. If you’re shooting without a flash, you’re going to be much less noticeable and much more likely to come away with the shots you want.

I hope this has been a helpful look at no flash photography. As always, please leave your comments or questions below!