My bridge camera help???????

[alandkell]

i want to create some great shots but i only have built in flash! I at this moment in time do not have spare funds to put into a studio setup so any ideas for diy lighting and how to go about things would be nice!

I am going to experiment with a smal concave board held underneath my flash to try to bounce light off of ceiling and walls! Has anyone else used any interesting techniques they would like to share with me?

I dont generally like to follow the norm but on saying that if the norm gets the pictures and lighting i would like to create then so be it but unorthodox styles and ideas are of great interest to me!

The camera i have is a fujifilm s3300 bridge camera with a tripod bought for me for xmas and i would like to get the most out of it i can before upgrading later in the yr to dslr!!!!
THANKS!!

[Shadowman]

1. What type of object are you photographing, how large, what color?
2. Time of day? Can you use light from a window? Flashlight, second camera flash?

[FrankMi]

I shoot indoors all the time without a flash. If the subject isn't moving, I use a tripod and a longer exposure, for anything else that would take more than the camera's flash, I try to shoot near a window. You can't get everything you might want to shoot this way but you can get quite a lot accomplished without auxiliary lighting until you can afford to upgrade. For example, this picture was done indoors without a tripod or flash just using available window light:



Taken with an 8 year old Sony DSC-42 point & shoot.

[alandkell]

mainly i am shooting evening times with house lighting which is fairly ambient and dull so without flash and longer exposure even i am getting warm oranges what i am after is diffused but bright and even light on reasonably close up subjest matter ie, portrait! great photo by the way!

[Shadowman]

Check your manual to see what focal length you can shoot at f/3.1 (probably only at 4.3mm) and use this setting for initial setups. Experiment with ISO levels until you start to get too much noise in the image. Then try external sources of light (flashlight, lamp, lamp with translucent shading), if your camera supports flash compensation try different levels of flash.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Alan,

I am going to experiment with a smal concave board held underneath my flash to try to bounce light off of ceiling and walls! Has anyone else used any interesting techniques they would like to share with me?

Do experiment, it is the best way to learn.

For most subjects (hence John's question), I suspect you'll find that the on camera flash, which is already somewhat under powered, will lose so much light reflecting off the card and ceiling and travelling almost twice as far, it will be almost unseen compared to the direct path element - unless that is blocked or reduced, but then you'll be fighting with ambient and using high iso and or wide apertures, etc.

Mainly I am shooting evening times with house lighting which is fairly ambient and dull so without flash and longer exposure even I am getting warm oranges what I am after is diffused but bright and even light on reasonably close up subjest matter ie, portrait

If you start mixing tungsten ambient with flash, your are going to get these issues unless you shoot for monochrome conversion, or start messing with gels to match colour temperatures between light sources.

Like to see what you achieve though, good luck.

[Photon Hacker]

Hello.

I currently have exactly the same camera model. Bouncing the flash will result in underexposure because the camera exposure system won't account for the effective attenuation of light and it's power level can't be manually overridden. I simply don't rely on the onboard flash.

Some suggestions for studio-like setup: Given you have a tripod disable image stabilization, use the timer and hand hold a desk lamp (Or several) with each arm or even legs/chest whatever is need. Optionally, fasten light bulbs to the back of a chair, or a broom shaft and then to the chair if you want otherwise not possible lighting angles. White boards can be used as reflectors or bouncers, especially[/I] in conjunction with desk lamps; even paper sheets are useful for this purpose. Don't be afraid to use long shutter times if need to shoot at ISO 64. Manual mode is useful in this setup. Don't rely on the live view exposure simulation (There is no exposure simulation in manual mode), check the actual pictures (Zoom with the zoom lever and see clipped highlights and metadata with +/-). However don't obsess with the inherent technical drawbacks (My lens is noticeably unsharp in the left side of image). Use The GIMP for distortion correction and other editing. It's free as free beer but more importantly free as in freedom.

Make yourself familiar with your equipment limitations and the effects of different settings. Play with the distinct settings until you're familiar with them. We could give more specific advice for a specific situation.

Bear in mind the camera is just the tool. No amount of expensive equipment will magically make great pictures. Here is an essay on the subject: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm.

Good luck!.

[alandkell]

Hello.

I currently have exactly the same camera model. Bouncing the flash will result in underexposure because the camera exposure system won't account for the effective attenuation of light and it's power level can't be manually overridden. I simply don't rely on the onboard flash.

Some suggestions for studio-like setup: Given you have a tripod disable image stabilization, use the timer and hand hold a desk lamp (Or several) with each arm or even legs/chest whatever is need. Optionally, fasten light bulbs to the back of a chair, or a broom shaft and then to the chair if you want otherwise not possible lighting angles. White boards can be used as reflectors or bouncers, especially[/I] in conjunction with desk lamps; even paper sheets are useful for this purpose. Don't be afraid to use long shutter times if need to shoot at ISO 64. Manual mode is useful in this setup. Don't rely on the live view exposure simulation (There is no exposure simulation in manual mode), check the actual pictures (Zoom with the zoom lever and see clipped highlights and metadata with +/-). However don't obsess with the inherent technical drawbacks (My lens is noticeably unsharp in the left side of image). Use The GIMP for distortion correction and other editing. It's free as free beer but more importantly free as in freedom.

Make yourself familiar with your equipment limitations and the effects of different settings. Play with the distinct settings until you're familiar with them. We could give more specific advice for a specific situation.

Bear in mind the camera is just the tool. No amount of expensive equipment will magically make great pictures. Here is an essay on the subject: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm.

Good luck!.

brilliant answer thanks for the feedback that has helped alot i did play with a couple of things last night, just prototypes though!
The upside from one that i made was an even spread of light but it had its drawbacks from long range! but close ups with an descently lit backdrop gave me some reasonable results that could easily be worked on post processing! will put photos up to show how things went!