What went wrong here?

[Sefirothe]

I got this cute candid shot of my dog in passing. I had the camera in hand and was about to put it up as she was sitting on the bed begging for attention. So I decided to snap a shot and quick flipped it to auto mode to catch her quick. No PP done yet. I'm just wondering what's going on with the odd white glare of the flash on one ear?


DSC_0112.JPG by sefirothe9, on Flickr

[Snarkbyte]

It appears the dog's left ear (right side of the photo) is exposed to a different light source than most of the rest of the image... probably external light from a window. The bright patch is just the hairless part of the dog's inner ear flap. A bit of this same color imbalance is visible in the background on the wall.

[Sefirothe]

The only window in the room is behind and to the right of her head but is covered by blinds, next to the wooden chest of drawers in the background. Plus the photo was taken around 10pm so no sunlight from the window. The only other light sources in the room are a ceiling light that has 3 60 watt bulbs (should be 4 but one is burnt out!) directly above her head and the camera's built in flash. I really think something got wonky with the camera's flash but I cant figure it out. Could it have something to do with the red eye reduction setting on the flash?

[Dave Humphries]

The only window in the room is behind and to the right of her head but is covered by blinds, next to the wooden chest of drawers in the background. Plus the photo was taken around 10pm so no sunlight from the window. The only other light sources in the room are a ceiling light that has 3 60 watt bulbs (should be 4 but one is burnt out!) directly above her head and the camera's built in flash. I really think something got wonky with the camera's flash but I cant figure it out. Could it have something to do with the red eye reduction setting on the flash?

Hi Sharon,

Now you mention red eye flash, if it is the sort that flashes more than once during an exposure (do any? seems a daft idea), that might account for what appears to be two edges to the ear - I would guess the ear twitched between flashes, so we have two pictures of it in different places.

Beyond that, the white effect is probably just because her(?) skin is pale in there and was at the exact angle to reflect back into the lens. It shows up even more because the 3 x 60w lamps were actually contributing significantly to the overall illumination, explaining the red cast on most of the shot - only inside the ear was lit by flash alone.

Cheers,

[Peter Ryan]

I was using my camera/flash on Rear Sinc the other day - not normally something I do, and noticed it did fire twice - once at the start of the exposure and another at the end. It might be that the flash was set this way and not the normal setting.

[Raycer]

oh, I like detective games.
Given light condition: 3 x 60 watt incandescent light + build in flash + window light.
Exposure f/4.8 at 1/60 Second; ISO 3200
focal length: 32mm
White Balance Auto
lens 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
focus distance 0.47m

Assumption: small room

Theory: build in flash was not the main light.

Evidence 1: White balance is on auto and flash fired - the camera will assume flash is the main light and turn white balance to flash. The picture is very warm (yellow/red) which is a clear indication the main light source is incandescent.

Evidence 2: Catchlight in dog's eyes shows mainlight source is directly overhead. The catchlight in eye also shows a weak light source directly infront of the subject.

Evidence 3: Subject does not have a shadow directly behind (tell tale sign when build in flash is the main light)

Evidence 4: Dog's nostril is not light up - closest point to the build in flash was not light up and shadow/highlight shows the main light is directly overhead.

Evidence 5: ISO 3200, f/4.8 1/60 sec - 3 x 60 watt light bulbs maybe enough in a small room for that exposure.

Conclusion: white light source on dog's ear is not from the build in flash. Possibly bounced/reflection from a daylight source.

[Sefirothe]

Raycer, your theory is built on one false assumption, daylight. No way there could be any daylight in the room.

The only window in the room is behind and to the right of her head but is covered by blinds, next to the wooden chest of drawers in the background. Plus the photo was taken around 10pm so no sunlight from the window. The only other light sources in the room are a ceiling light that has 3 60 watt bulbs (should be 4 but one is burnt out!) directly above her head and the camera's built in flash. I really think something got wonky with the camera's flash but I cant figure it out. Could it have something to do with the red eye reduction setting on the flash?

Hi Sharon,

Now you mention red eye flash, if it is the sort that flashes more than once during an exposure (do any? seems a daft idea), that might account for what appears to be two edges to the ear - I would guess the ear twitched between flashes, so we have two pictures of it in different places.

Beyond that, the white effect is probably just because her(?) skin is pale in there and was at the exact angle to reflect back into the lens. It shows up even more because the 3 x 60w lamps were actually contributing significantly to the overall illumination, explaining the red cast on most of the shot - only inside the ear was lit by flash alone.

Cheers,

Actually, I dont think its a double image of her ear. Its just that her fur is so plush it gives it a very three dimensional look. The other ear is just too shadowed to show the same effect. Makes her super cuddly too!

I think you are right tho. I think some how only the upper right corner of the shot caught the light of the flash for some reason. If you look closely her eyebrow on that side is more lit as well as the ear.

Hopefully the flash doesnt have these hiccups in the future. This would have been a cute shot if not for that ugly ear! Or is there something I could have done that would have more easily have prevented this? I am still learning all the settings on this camera. And like I said, she was being cute and I quick flipped it to auto so I could capture the cuteness!

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Sharon,

Or is there something I could have done that would have more easily have prevented this?

Keep practicing so you learn the camera and take control
Easily said by me of course not so easily done with something new

You had pretty much all the settings to achieve an ambient light picture, if you could have stopped the flash too ...

I'm sure it could be coloured in to look like the other one in PP.

My only other thought on why the flash had so little effect (except in one place) - is it possible you were holding the lens in such a way that your hand blocked most of the light?

Cheers,

[MiniChris]

I did a little PP work in Photoshop...really just copied the left ear, fipped it and rotated to fit, then blended it with clone. Did the same thing over eye. I also made the background a bit less busy, though it is still too busy for my tastes and did a color adjustment, sharpened and here it is...it really needs a reshoot, but this was done to show you some of the possibilities you can accomplish in PP if you don't get it exactly right the first time.

[Sefirothe]

Dave, I've got myself pretty well trained at holding the lens at the bottom when shooting landscape. My portrait grip is a bit more unschooled and anything goes heh. So you may have something there. I honestly dont remember how I was holding the camera for this particular shot but it is entirely possible you may have found the culprit!

MiniChris,

That's some really good PP! I dont think I would have tried that technique. I did try the burn tool to darken the white spot, but was not satisfied with the results.

I have to say it again, this site is a wealth of resources and knowledge! Thanks so much!