On the lighter side of things...

Ok, despite the corny title, lighting is what makes the photography world go around.

The problem for beginners and pro's alike is when the lighting conditions constantly change. Today we'll talk about shooting indoors, which has a different set of challenges than shooting outdoors.

Shooting indoors typically calls for additional lighting. Whether from your camera's pop-up flash or an external flash unit.

Using a built in flash indoors the subject, generally, should be a minimum of five feet from the flash. Otherwise, it will look as though you were photographing a blizzard in Wyoming. Better still, stay between five to twelve feet for optimum results and no farther with a built in.

Flash units, purchased separately, are designed to attach to the camera's hot shoe and have more power than built ins. Often, one can have good results from twenty to thirty feet away and more with a top model unit. Keep in mind your illumination varies greatly depending on the distance of the light source.

However, whether you are using natural or artificial lighting indoors make certain you don't stand between the light source and the subject; otherwise, you may cast shadows that show up in the final version.

So, now that you have enough power and light you're ready to shoot, right? Not so fast gunslinger.

Indoors in particular, pay attention to obects that reflect light that fall into the frame. Mirrors, glass picture frames, cannon balls (just seeing if your paying attention).

In addition, a subjects red-eye (from the flash, not an all night binge) can be an issue. Getting the flash off the camera, so it's not directly over the lens,usually eliminates that issue. I use a flash bracket that I connect my flash to and then mount the bracket to the camera using the tripod mount fitting. Then, I connect the flash to the camera using a cord designed to attach the camera body and the flash bracket linking the two.

Fortunately, many modern cameras have a built in red-eye feature to fix the problem. Further, most of the new photo editing software has this feature as well.

If you want to save some money, I advise one to use the available technology rather than purchase an expensive off camera flash bracket and cord.

Remember, cameras don't take great pictures, people do.