Turn Off The Flash To See What Happens

I was talking with a good friend of mine this weekend who also happens to have a Canon SD1300. He was telling me that in his line of work (he’s in construction) there are many times when he has to be on a job site early in the morning and many times he has to document things they are doing with photos. He was saying how he learned to turn off the flash to take a better photo in low light. He remarked that many times on a construction site there is a lot of dust in the air and when you use the flash on the camera it lights up all the dust and not the subject of the photo. By eliminating the flash he was able to get a better photo.

This is a great example of taking your camera and discovering the different things you can do with it. Flash is great but many times it can make your photo seem unnatural and overexposed and even make the focus of the photo something you didn’t intend such as dust in the air. Most cameras have the ability to turn the flash on and off and to put it into an automatic mode. Some cameras even allow you to adjust the ISO in the Program mode and ISO is a key element in low light photography.

Consult your user manual for the correct selection for the ISO function. The Canon SD1300 ISO can be selected in the Program mode (camera image) and then the Func. Set button. Once there, scroll down to the ISO setting. Here the Canon lists different ISO’s the camera can be set to and this will vary from camera to camera. The SD1300 has the following ISO’s available: Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, & 1600. The higher the number the less light you need to take your photo.

In the 1600 ISO mode you can shoot in relatively little light and still have a decent photo. What it does is increase the speed in which light is captured to the digital negative allowing you to take a photo with a shutter speed fast enough that it minimizes camera shake resulting in a less blurry image. By doing this you get a much more natural looking photo using natural light or available light in the surrounding.

Evening and pre-dusk photo settings are great to experiment with. Try going out to your garden and use the last remaining light of the day to illuminate your flowers and see what kind of photos you can get. The more your practice the easier it will get. Try using different ISO settings to experiment with different results. A tripod is a good investment for low light photos as well. It allows the camera to remain still and thus reduce the amount of camera shake for low light photos. Experiment and have fun and feel free to share your results here as well, I’d love to see what you come up with!

Until next time, Happy Shooting!

-Robert Hillis

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About the Author:

Robert Hillis is a wedding and portrait photographer operating Memories of Your Lifetime Photography in San Antonio, TX. Robert says, “I am an artist at heart and I love to “Paint with my Lens”! I’ve been shooting professionally for about 4 years but I’ve been doing it for fun forever! I truly love what I do and I think that shows through onto my photos.”

“I like to tell my clients that a wedding is a once in a lifetime event, it truly is, and that what I will do for you will stand the tests of time. Out of all of the things that you buy for your wedding, what I offer will outlast them all. My photos will outlast you, your kids, their kids and even their kids kids. I’m not taking photos, I’m preserving your family history. I am capturing the Memories Of Your Lifetime!”

Company: Memories Of Your Lifetime (MOYL) Photography
Phone: 210-885-3497
Email: moylphotography@live.com
Website: http://www.memoriesofyourlifetime.com/
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