A camera flash can help you to take better pictures by providing extra light and adjust and improve existing light, but it can also cause unexpected problems with your pictures if you don't know how to use it correctly. This page is a guide on how to use a camera flash.

• Flash is used to add artificial light to scenes when photographing. Although it is often used at nighttime and in dark locations to increase the amount of light, it can also be used for other purposes, such as to eliminate shadows and making a scene at a studio look more natural.

• There are several types of flash available. Most cameras come with a flash. You you can also buy an additional, external flash, which typically offers extra settings and advantages to a typical camera flash.

• Before you start using the flash, learn the basics on how a flash works.

1. Flash only works well with some shutter speeds (the amount of time during which light is let into the camera). Learn which shutter speeds your camera requires to sync it with the flash, because using other ones will result in flawed pictures.
2. Many cameras have a setting called exposure-compensation which allows you to lower the power of the flash. This can decrease the strong and unnatural light flash can result in. Flash diffusers serve the same purpose.
3. Because of the intense light, it's usually better to avoid white backgrounds, such as a white wall, when using flash.
4. Using a slow-sync flash setting on the camera, if it has it, can increase the visibility of the background when using flash.

• If you use the automatic settings on your camera, the camera will usually enable the flash in dark locations. This is often helpful, but sometimes you may not want flash. For example, if you are taking a picture of candlelights in a dark location, you would not want flash to diminish the mood of the scene. Flash can also often look unnatural because of its strong light and because it doesn't light up all parts of the scene equally. At these times, it's better to turn the flash off. If you are shooting a dark scene, you can use a tripod instead. It will prevent your camera from shaking when using a longer shutter speed.

• Before starting to use flash, learn about shutter speeds, exposure-compensation and other basics of flash use. Learn when to use the flash to improve pictures and when to avoid it.

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