Is it possible for us mortal hobbyists?
YES! Built-in flash usually gets a bad rep for producing unflattering photos, but here's a neat trick I learned from my friends
Trisha and
Nix: use a handy dandy
white card in front of the flash!
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| Like so! (Pardon the webcam photo, haha) |
What the card does is
direct the light from the flash to a different direction (depending on how you tilt the card), diffusing the light in the process. This is very useful for people like me who don't have a lot of lighting equipment at their disposal.
Here's a before and after example:
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| Not bad, right? ^u^ |
The downside to this trick is that it's very inconsistent. Sometimes it takes dozens of test shots before you finally achieve the effect you're looking for. However, inconsistency can also be transformed into flexibility! Just experiment! :D
Here are some sample shots taken using this technique, using various positions of the card. As you can see, the overall effect differs with the change of setting as well.
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| The card was farther from the flash in the second photo, which made the light reflect on the surrounding objects more than the first photo. See how the overall color of the second photo is affected because of the color of the surrounding objects? |
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| The card was positioned farther from the flash in the first photo. There was a TV on the left side, and since its surface is glass, the light from the flash reflected quite strongly onto Blair. It actually looks almost like sunlight! |
Some pointers:
1. From my experience, this works best when done indoors.
2. I find that doing this trick works best for tighter shots like macros and close-ups.
3.
The size, color, positioning and tilt of the card can have varied
effects, like using a pink card will give a pink cast to the photo. I
prefer using a plain white card so it won't give off a colored cast.
4. The available ambient light, the color of the surrounding
objects and how you hold your camera (portrait, landscape, near, far)
also produce different results.
5. Patience is key.
I hope this helps even though I feel my explanations were a little vague. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. XD
Happy shooting! ^o^
