Why are flash photos too bright?

[atikovi]

Using a Canon Powershot ELPH 360HS. This seems to happen when taking pics of lighter objects with the flash set to on.

If I take the picture in Auto mode and the flash doesn't go off, the photo loses lots of detail.

Any idea as to the cause and what settings to adjust?

 

[b_b]

processing power, single stage flash. modern flash has at least two bulbs sometimes four and all four are different tones. the more modern systems can remove the unwanted colors while also producing a well lit photo. in short, just shortcoming of that camera.

 

[Owen Lucas]

I would use a cell phone.

 

[atikovi]

I use a phone primarily to make calls. I use a camera to take pictures. I tried using a phone for pictures but its way too clumsy to operate.

 

[RooflessVW]

I use a phone primarily to make calls. I use a camera to take pictures. I tried using a phone for pictures but its way too clumsy to operate.

Man it's 2023.

 

[atikovi]

How many professional photographers use cellphones to do their shoots? Maybe just the poor ones.

 

[RooflessVW]

How many professional photographers use cellphones to do their shoots? Maybe just the poor ones.

Are you a professional photographer?

 

[Jetronic]

I use a phone primarily to make calls. I use a camera to take pictures. I tried using a phone for pictures but its way too clumsy to operate.

Can you reduce the exposure manually?

 

[atikovi]

Are you a professional photographer?

Irrelevant. I have a professional scan tool but I'm not a professional mechanic. I have a professional tire machine and balancer but I'm not a tire store. I have professional windshield removal tools but I'm not a glass shop. Etc.

 

[atikovi]

Can you reduce the exposure manually?

I'll see if that helps.

 

[eljefino]

The carpet is blown out because it's closer to the flash. The camera exposes for an average. The pedals are a little under-exposed. The camera also tries to make everything 18% gray so if your carpet is brighter or dimmer the camera will improperly correct that for you.

You also have awful shadows from a tiny little point source flash. Try this. Hold a coffee filter about two inches in front of your flash, but in no way in front of your lens, while you're photographing. You can also hold the camera upside-down for this particular photo, as the flash will get up under the dash. Rotate the picture later in software.

 

[vavavroom]

Auto flash makes flash the main light source in a dark environment. That's why the foreground gets overly bright. The light falloff from the flash in combination with too short a flash synch speed causes the background to drown in darkness. Try the slow-synch setting. Hopefully, it will tame flash output while upping the ambient exposure. Better get a camera that allows you to set and adjust ambient exposure and flash output separately.

 

[PF52]

There's a learning curve to taking good flash photos. In a nutshell, the best ones are not taken with the on-camera flash. There's probably a ton of Youtube videos about studio lighting (which is essentially what you're trying to do here). Like Vavavroom says above, more ambient lighting will probably help so that the camera won't be constantly try to overexpose everything.

But for your purposes, the cameraphone will take pretty good photos. There's tons of built-in processing in a modern phone that will help give pleasing results without having to learn about studio lighting and or post-processing. Better than your point-and-shoot digital.

 

[vavavroom]

You can get a small handheld LED photo/video light with a diffuser that allows you to see how your lighting will look because it's a continuous light source. Perfect for shooting under the sofa and in the truck of the car. Godox, Lume Cube, etc. That's what I use when I take pictures in a dimly lit barn or pigpen. Drives the pigs mad.

 

[Nick1994]

You've got too much flash power. Like 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5 pound bag.

Treat yourself to a new iPhone and take perfect pictures, then go to www.iCloud.com and drag and drop them onto your computer. Couldn't be easier.

I just went out and took this nighttime picture with flash of my car as an example. And remember, BITOG compresses photos.

 

[dumkid]

I've found on my $100 android if you find manual mode and mess with the settings you get much better pictures

 

[atikovi]

You've got too much flash power. Like 10 pounds of potatoes in a 5 pound bag.

Treat yourself to a new iPhone and take perfect pictures, then go to www.iCloud.com and drag and drop them onto your computer. Couldn't be easier.

I just went out and took this nighttime picture with flash of my car as an example. And remember, BITOG compresses photos.

View attachment 190607

On the phone I have now, you have to take a finger off of where you are holding it to touch the screen to take a picture. That makes the camera shake not to mention being quite annoying if you're taking half a dozen pics of the same thing.

 

[Nick1994]

On the phone I have now, you have to take a finger off of where you are holding it to touch the screen to take a picture. That makes the camera shake not to mention being quite annoying if you're taking half a dozen pics of the same thing.

I'm assuming you have an Android. Not sure about those, but with an iPhone you can push the physical volume button just like a camera to take the picture.

 

[vavavroom]

On the phone I have now, you have to take a finger off of where you are holding it to touch the screen to take a picture.

If you use the 2-second self-timer you have time to steady the phone.

That makes the camera shake not to mention being quite annoying if you're taking half a dozen pics of the same thing.

Turn burst mode off. If you don't have burst mode on I don't see how you get a series of photos unless you are using LivePhoto (iPhone) or Motion Photos (Android).

 

[vavavroom]

I'm assuming you have an Android. Not sure about those, but with an iPhone you can push the physical volume button just like a camera to take the picture.

You can do that on an Android phone. Some Android phones have a custom button that can be freely programmed, including to function as a shutter release button.