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New and Enthusiast Photographer Tip 

A Simple On Camera Flash Technique to
Amaze your audience!

I came across this technique 10 or 12 years ago by accident while I was playing with my camera settings at wedding reception when the lights were down low and the dancing started. The effect is really cool and I now teach this at most of my digital photo classes, seminars and lectures.

Not to blow my horn, but I tutored this technique to a gal from Calgary last year and a guy in Vancouver a few months ago. They were individually on a trip to Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro and one saw the other using this technique (very evident to see because it looks really weird to anyone watching you use it!) and in chatting, they found that they had both learned it from Dave the Rave (that's me!) in private lessons back in Canada. What a small world!  Well here it is... and I gave it a name: Dave's Dynamo Effect(tm). I am certainly not the first person to uncover this trick but you may be hearing this firsthand here.

Dave's Dynamo Effect (tm)

Facts: A camera flash will freeze close fast moving objects in low light and has a limited distance range beyond which it has no effect at all.  The duration of flashes vary by type and model, off-camera or built-in/pop-up and is typically between 1/1000 to 1/30,000 of a second.  This is like a super fast shutter speed and when most or all of the light is from the flash (and not other sources) then you freeze anything to tack sharpness within the flash distance range, even if it is moving quickly.  Objects that are beyond the flash range become more blurred if they move quickly. Therefore, in low light situations and with a very slow shutter speed you will get a tack sharp close moving object and blurred far away objects.  Well, if the far way object, or background is not moving then you will get a dimly lit blurred background because of the slow shutter speed - boring!. Solution to this: Spin rotate your camera as you take the picture - this will cause the background to become ethereal looking, dizziness, spiral-like, wild and crazy.  Background lights will create a variable "falling star" trail increasing with more distance from the camera's flash.

You can get this effect on ALL cameras by using any option that sets a slow shutter speed and forcing the flash on. A common setting to use on a point and shoot cameras is party mode, night portrait ot slow sinc found on dials or in Scene Mode and the best setting to use on all SLR cameras and some Point and shoot cameras is Shutter Priority (S or TV) with flash forced on and shutter speed set between between 1/10 sec to 1/35 sec.  If you can, vary the shutter speed as the effect and look will differ. Don't forget to rotate the camera bigtime as you take the picture and everyone watching will think you are nuts!  Try it. Some love this effect and some hate it!  What's funky is that no-one, even you, can duplicate the image again because they will all be different.

 

Confused? Read the above again slowly, attend one of my classes or look at these photos below - all taken with Dave's Dynamo Effect. Email your images using this technique to Dave@imagebyinterface.com by Jan.31, 2009 and the top 3 entries will receive a complimentary copy of my newly updated "Digital and Travel Photography CD Tutorial" and your images with credit will be published in our next issue.    

                 

A Bride and Father Dancing          Cruise Ship Passengers on Deck                   

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