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BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: Flash Photography

Photography Question 

Amber D. Jones 		 

Flash: Shadows and Reflections of Light


 
 
I am a beginner photographer. I am shooting some school pictures for a few kids that I know. I have taken a lot of sample shots, and in every picture, there is a shadow outlining the person. I am taking the picture vertically with a 35mm Minolta. I've tried all sorts of different lighting in the samples, but each one seems to have this outline. If I don't use my flash, will there still be a shadow?


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April 27, 2005

 

Kerry L. Walker 		  Without the flash, there won't be a shadow. (The flash is causing the shadows.) With the flash on a flip bracket (flipped when you go vertical), there will be a shadow but it will be behind the subject and not visible - just like a horizontal shot.


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April 27, 2005

 

Maria Melnyk 		  Don't have the child too close to whatever you're using as a background. And yes, you must have the flash above the camera, not directly from the side. Sorry, but having a flash on the camera and turning it on its side is bad photography.
To help you along, either take a class or pick up a good portrait lighting book to learn how to light a subject, both with studio lighting and outdoor lighting. It's quite involved, but there are simple setups that work fine.


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May 04, 2005

 

Bob Cammarata 		  My thinking is that your "shadow" may be a ghost image of your subject,...a by-product of using flash with a slow shutter speed.
Can you post an example?


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May 05, 2005

 
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