Improve your flash photos of children

Improve your flash photos of children

I purchased a Nikon SB-600 External Flash as I wanted to try and achieve better results using flash particularly when taking photos of my kids in an inside situation.  I was not happy with the shadows I was getting in my photos with the normal flash on my camera and that sometimes my subjects looked ‘washed’ out by the flash.

I have taken some photos using my Nikon D200 flash in automatic mode and with the Nikon SB-600 External Flash to show the advantages I have found of using the external flash.

Photo 1 shows the result of using the flash on my D200 in automatic mode.  The D200 is a great camera and this photo is a great photo.  However, there is some shadow around my daughter and I feel the photo is a little light and my daughter’s skin tone also looks a little white from too much exposure.
In Photo 2 I have used my SB-600 External Flash and have directed the flash straight onto my daughter.  As you can see, the photo is a little darker than Photo 1 because of the benefit of being able to set how much exposure you use.  The SB-600 has a (+) and (-) feature so you can increase or reduce the amount of flash required for a particular situation.

In this situation, I think Photo 2 shows less of the ‘flash white out’ that appears when you are taking photos with the flash on your camera in automatic mode and unable to reduce the amount of flash used.  This is important when taking photos of people whose skin often looks ‘white’ or unnatural in colour because of too much flash.

I have again used my SB-600 External Flash, however this time I have swivelled the flash and bounced it off the ceiling and back down onto my daughter.  The results of this swivel and bounce feature is that Photo 3 has no shadow, and my favourite part – there is vibrant colour in the photo and my daughter’s skin tone is glowing and true to colour.

I love the swivel and bounce feature of the SB 600 – it is so easy to use and the results speak for themselves…photos with beautiful colour and detail.  After using the swivel and bounce feature and seeing the results in my photos I am too fussy about my photos to use my camera without it!

The ability to adjust the exposure on the SB-600 External Flash is also a great feature.   The flash goes from -3 to +3 stops and is quick and easy to adjust while taking your photos.

The ability to increase the amount of flash according to the condition of lighting in the location you are taking photos is valuable to me in achieving great photos .  The benefit of increasing the amount of exposure in those very dark unlit rooms in a party situation, or when taking photos late in the afternoon when there are a lot of shadows definitely improves your photography.

I find the SB-600 flash fantastic for photographing my children who are constant moving objects!  I achieve faster focus when taking the photo and better results with clear, focused photos.  The faster focus is crucial when taking photos of kids who quite often have moved before you have captured that treasured pose.  This advantage of the SB-600 flash would also be a benefit for people doing sporting photography which also involves focusing on moving objects.

I love using my  Nikon SB-600 External Flash – I will not use my camera without it!

This article has been submitted by Emma Knight. Emma is a customer of the Eastmon, Dubbo store and is a keen photographer and takes great photographs of her children.

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1. 5 Tips to take Better Photos of your Children