LET’S GET CREATIVE To finish off this chapter, I’m going to give you a few more shooting tips, mostly fun ways you can play around with light to get some really neat results. Photography wouldn’t have as much appeal to me if it weren’t for all the exciting ways to use light, along with the different settings on my camera. These are just a few of the hundreds of ways you can experiment with your camera.
THE “SWIRLY FLASH” It’s no secret that I don’t like to use the built-in flash. The light is harsh and flat, and when you photograph people in a dark setting, such as indoors or at night, it’s too easy to get a background that is dark and underexposed. So when I’m in a situation in which I have no choice but to use the flash on my camera, I like to change some of the settings to give my snapshots a different look. I drag the shutter, setting it much slower than normal, usually between 1/15 and 1/4 of a second, and spin the camera on axis with the subject while the shutter is open. This keeps the person mostly frozen and well lit while creating an interesting blur of lights in the background (Figure 10.6).
FIGURE 10.6 By using a slow shutter speed with the built-in flash, you can create fun and unique photos of your friends.
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ISO 1600 1/8 sec. f/11 50mm lens