Digital Photography Tips - 5 Tips to Avoid Flash Blowout

Have you ever tried to take pictures in a poorly lit room with your point and shoot camera? How was it? Doesn’t your subject turn out to be completely blown out by the flash? It was horrible to see that your subjects are engulfed by the bright light. So, below are 5 tips to help you avoid this common flash blowout.

1. Stepping back

Various digital photography tips told you to get close to your subjects so that you can fill up your frame. However, the closer you get to your subjects with flash, the brighter they will get.

So, it is wise that you take some steps further from your subjects and zoom into them when you need to flash on your subjects. This can help you to fill your frame and reduce the blowout.

2. Bounce the flash

As any point and shoot camera user already knew, you can’t control the direction of the flash (DSLR flash unit can be twisted and bounce the light to other direction). However, you are not cursed to stick with this situation forever. You can change your fate with some effort.

You can use a small white card and place it at an angle in front of the flash so that the light can be directed to the ceiling or wall. One thing about this digital photography tip is that you want to be careful with the material you use to direct the flash. This is because different color can impact the light from your flash. So, you will see a different picture when you bounce the flash with a red card instead of white.

3. Diffusion

Unlike DSLR camera users, compact digital camera users can’t control the output of the flash. If you know that your flash is too strong, what you can do then is to stick white tissue or cello tape over the flash unit.

Again, the materials you use to cover the flash unit can affect the light from your flash. So, it is good that you can stick the flash with white or clear and transparent material instead of colorful tapes.

4. Setting

Now this is the time when you look into the setting your point and shoot camera and use the ‘night mode’ to avoid flash blowout. In this mode, your camera will automatically slow down the shutter speed and take the picture with flash.

While your shutter speed is being slowed down, your aperture size will usually be increase (although you might not be able to control this). When that happens, more light from the environment can be allowed to enter the camera so that it reduces the usage of the flash hence your subject can be properly illuminated.

5. Add more light

This is the most obvious digital photography tips ever. However, this might not be effective when you are in a party or clubbing. You can literally get yourself kick out of the room when you do that.

If that is the case, can you get your subjects to a better lit place? If the flash still blowout your subject, you probably will want to add in the stepping back tip here.

Do you enjoy taking photos? Do you want more digital photography tips and techniques? Just look at

Michael Wong is happy to share his knowledge about digital photography with you and hope you enjoy them.