I was shooting a private party last week in Seattle Aquarium and afterwards, one of the staff came up to me and asked me about why I was firing my flash backwards. I stopped packing up my gear and we both took a break to talk photography for a while. He told me that was the first time he'd ever seen someone use a flash in that way. Naturally I thought; "I need to write a blog about this!" ;)

Anyway, what I'd like to cover specifically in regards to flash is working with people.

We all know the problem...we have our subject, the background is just right...except...dang, our subject is backlit! We need to become the instant light crew so we make use of the flash.

But what usually happens next?

A lot of times we end up with our subject being really harshly white and everything behind them being very dark. And the eyes...the dreaded red eye pops up.

We are going to solve both problems in one fell swoop.

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Bouncing a Flash:

There's an incredibly simply solution (though it may require an equipment upgrade if your camera just has a fixed flash), and that is to fire the flash back or up, bouncing it off a nearby wall, ceiling, etc. This turns the wall (for example) into a giant reflector as well as a broad softner. 

It's truly just that simple. By bouncing the flash off an alternate surface we get a much softer light that is more evenly distributed.

No More Red Eye:

Red eye is a direct product of the angle of incidence light is entering the cornea. The problem is, the 'flatter and straighter' (parallel to the floor) the light hits the eye...the more red eye occurs.  So where is the flash mounted on most cameras?! Directly opposite the eye! Argh!

By bouncing a flash off something else we change the angle of entry considerably and the red eye is virtually nonexistant. Whew!

I should also mention that many cameras (even P&S) have a sort of red eye reduction method using a 'pre-flash'. By shining a red light at the eye just prior to firing the flash the eye contracts in a way which reduces red eye. While this isn't nearly as effective as bouncing the flash it can be quite helpful. :)

Let's look at some examples (all the below images are backlit in some fashion, the only forward illumination is my bounce flash):

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Other Considerations:

• The biggest obvious issue is that most cameras have a fixed flash. There's not a ton you can do in that case (though you can sometimes get a diffuser or even sort of deflect it with your hand or an object - difficult but possible!).
• However, that said many cameras will have a flash shoe which allows you to add on an external flash that can be aimed. It is an extra cost of course.
• Other good stuff about buying an external flash unit: Modern external flashes often come with a host of features, including improved light metering through the lens itself to power Autofocus assist function. They aren't cheap but you can do a bunch of stuff with these things.
• Bouncing a flash off something may pick up a color cast (change the flash light from white to something tinted by surface of the object). This could make for some strange color temp or it could be used to your advantage.
• An external flash will recycle much faster and be much more powerful than a fixed flash. It also won't pull power from your camera which risks killing your batter double quick.

Well, that's (hopefully) a good overview. As always, please feel free to ask any questions. :)

Cheers, -B