Tulsa Wedding Photographers - Flash Modes

Very few things can affect your shot as much as the flash, and yet it’s something that a lot of beginning photographers don’t know very much about. There are many different flash modes, especially with the built in flash on your camera. Learning how to control the flash will give you a greater mastery over the outcome of your photos.

Forced Off

You may assume that just because the flash is not flipped up on your DSLR camera that it is in fact turned off, but this is not always the case. Most modern cameras will automatically activate the flash when the camera feels it is needed, causing the flash to flip into position and fire. This can be a problem if you’re not expecting it, but changing the flash mode to "Forced Off" will stop this from happening.

Auto Flash

This is the default setting for most cameras, and for the average person it’s exactly the mode that they need. When the camera needs light, the flash will activate. If the camera doesn’t need the extra light, the flash doesn’t fire, simple as that.

Forced On

This mode is pretty self-explanatory, especially after reading about Forced Off mode above. This mode causes the flash to fire with every picture, even if the camera doesn’t think the extra light is needed. This is a good mode for beginning photographers to use, as you will usually want flash when first starting out. Tulsa Wedding Photographers use flash almost all the time, as it can be used to fill in shadows when shooting outside as well as give you the extra light needed in a dark reception hall.

Second Curtain (or Rear Curtain) Sync

Don’t think af the shutter on your camera as being the same as the shutter on your window. THe shutter on the camera is more like a narrow opening that moves from the top of the lens opening to the bottom very quickly, letting light onto the sensor or film. In most modes the flash fires as soon as you press the shutter button, but in Second Curtain sync mode, the flash fires right at the end of the exposure as the shutter is closing again. Using this mode, it’s possible for you to let in ambient light while still freezing motion. Tulsa Wedding Photographers use this mode during the dancing portion of the reception to capture all of the ambient mood lighting while still getting a crisp shot of the dancers.