Digital Photography - Flash Works Best with Nearby Subjects

SUMMARY: Flash is not a cure-all; if it must be used, either in night photography or to overpower ambient sunlight, get close to your subject.

If you must use flash in a digital photo, either because there is not enough light, or if you need to overpower extremely bright ambient light and remove shadows, try to get close to your subject.

Especially with onboard flash units, the light from your flash will fade away after just a few feet. Thus, subjects close to your camera lens will come out bright, yet farther away subjects may turn out darker or not lit at all, sometimes creating a vignette effect you may not desire. Thus, getting in close to your subject and using a wider-angle zoom is recommended, but you should experiment. If you get in too close, flash may overpower your subject, causing it to look overexposed.

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