Taking Better Digital Photos With Auto Settings PART 3: AUTO FLASH AND LIGHTING

We recognize the patterns of colors and shapes in a photograph because they resemble what we see in daily life. Light is so common that we take it for granted, but the photographer needs to be attuned to the subtlety of light in order to make effective pictures. The photographer can take advantage of these different characteristics when taking shots. Either the camera can be adjusted to compensate for the light source or the special characteristics of the light can be used for artistic effect. Some cameras have a flash setting which reduce this red eye effect. This works by firing a short flash before the picture is taken which causes the iris of the eye to become smaller. Another problem caused by integrated flash is a lack of depth. The reason for this is the even illumination over the entire surface of the subject. Shadows which normally give a sense of depth are eliminated. Of course, all kinds of special effects can be produced by lighting your subject in different ways. Backlighting can create a halo effect, while overhead lights can create strong contrasts between light and shadow. Another factor which affects photography is the strength of the light. Direct light creates strong shadows while diffuse light can create a warm atmosphere by reducing the contrast between objects. Most digital cameras can be adjusted for color balance. There may be several options: auto, manual, daylight, incandescent and flash. They can be used to compensate for the light source so that white is truly white. This allows the colors to be reproduced accurately. What we consider to be 'white' light is actually made up of all the colors of the spectrum. This is easy to demonstrate with a prism - let light shine through it and it will refract into all the colors of the rainbow. In fact, we see rainbows because water droplets are acting as prisms by breaking up the white light from the sun and splitting it into colors. Objects have different colors because they reflect those colors while absorbing the others. Black absorbs all color - it is the absence of color.