5 Common Flash Photography Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Using flash in photography can be both a powerful tool and a tricky challenge. While it helps capture well-lit, vibrant images, improper use can lead to issues like harsh shadows or unwanted reflections. In this guide, we’ll explore some common flash photography mistakes and provide practical tips to help you avoid them. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced photographer, understanding these pitfalls will help you create more balanced, professional-looking photos.
Mistake 1: Harsh Shadows
A direct flash, especially when close to the model, often creates harsh shadows or uneven light. To fix this, use techniques like bouncing the flash off a ceiling or wall behind you (ideally, the surfaces should be white, and the ceilings shouldn’t be too high) or using a diffuser to soften the light when directing it at the model. This will help diffuse the harsh light and soften the borderlines between shadow and light.
If you want to lighten your shadows, ensure you have enough fill light (so you can have 1 key light and one fill light at less powerful settings). If you only have one flash, place the model between two white boards or use white sheets. This will enlarge the area where light can bounce off, helping to fill in shadows and make them softer.
Below I’ll share one of my the most favoruite bounced-light lighting setups that I use the most.
Mistake 2: Overexposed/Underexposed Subjects
Sometimes, your photos can turn out too light or too dark. Here are some things you can do to fix that. This is usually the algorithm I follow:
I start by setting my go-to camera settings for flash photography: ISO 100, shutter speed 1/200, and aperture usually between f/7 and f/9.
I then turn on the flash (in manual mode) and adjust the power until I’m satisfied with the exposure.
If my photos are too dark and my flash is at its maximum power, I either decrease the aperture or increase the ISO.
If my photos are too light and my flash is at its lowest power, I increase the aperture.
If you’re shooting with a flash on a stand, you might want to consider moving the flash closer to the subject to make them brighter, or further away to make them darker.
Mistake 3: Dark Bands in Photos
If you use a shutter speed that’s too high for your camera’s flash sync speed, you’ll get a black line across your photo. This happens because, at high speeds, the shutter curtains move so quickly that they don’t stay fully open long enough for the entire image to be lit by the flash. As the flash fires, part of the sensor is already covered by the moving curtains, creating a black line where the light didn’t reach. The faster the shutter speed, the bigger the black line will be.
Below is a visual explanation (hopefully, it’s easier to understand this way) of what exactly happens. With the correct shutter speed, when you press the shutter button, the first curtain falls, then the flash fires, followed by the second curtain closing.
When your shutter speed is too fast, the second curtain starts to close before the first curtain has finished its movement. As a result, when the flash fires, part of the image is blocked by the second curtain, causing a dark line to appear in your photo.
To fix this, make sure your shutter speed is below 1/250 when shooting with flash (but ideally above 1/160 to ensure sharp photos).
Mistake 4: Glare and Reflections on Glasses or Reflective Surfaces
When photographing people with glasses or reflective backgrounds, tilt the glasses slightly downward or change the angle of your shot to reduce glare. It’s helpful to see what kind of reflection you’ll get by turning on the modeling light (but make sure all other ambient light is ideally off, as this trick might not be very helpful otherwise). The spot where you see the modeling light is where the flash reflection will appear. So once you're satisfied with how the modeling light looks in the reflection, you can be confident that the flash reflection will look similar in the final result.
Mistake 5: Color Casts from Bouncing Flash
Bouncing your flash off colored surfaces (e.g., red walls) or greenery (like in a park) can cause colour tints in your photos. To avoid this, try to shoot in a space with neutral-coloured surroundings or without coloured walls, ceilings, or nearby trees and bushes. If you need to bounce light off a surface, try placing a white reflector behind you and bouncing the flash off it, or consider using a soft modifier on your flash instead and direct it at the model (but this way no bounced light anymore).
