Washed Out Baby Face

Hello fellow photography fans....

I am frustrated with washed out indoor pictures. (Indoor is my only option in Chicago right now) I want to learn a few things quickly, because I have a new baby. All the pictures I have taken of little Calvin have been terrible.

Example of typical washed out picture....
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i1...nateandcal.jpg

Example of one of my better pictures (although I have no idea how I achieved this picture):
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i114/cahaej/645.jpg

Camera: Canon Digital Rebel XT
Lens: Wide Angle that Comes with Camera
Other Equipment I have: Telephoto Lens without Image Stabilization, Tripod, Some UV Filters

I have tried experimenting with the controls of the camera, but I am not getting the results I want. I am thinking about buying a new flash, but I am not sure what to get, and I don't want to waste a penny right now. Thanks in advance to the knowledge spreaders for any advice or answers.

Elizabeth

The first image suffers from bad lighting. I suspect it is the camera's pop up flash that was used. Direct lighting from near the axis of the lens will usually net you a picture such as your example. You may want to invest in a flash that you can use off camera (either via cable or wirelessly) or at least bounce off a wall/ceiling to diffuse the light. Your second image looks like it was just ambient lighting and no flash which gave a more pleasing result.

Check out Gary Friedman's article on flash diffusing, http://www.friedmanarchives.com/Writ...user/index.htm. It is a comparison between home-made and store bought diffusers, but it has excellent examples of the kind of images you'll get between strait flash and different methods of bounce/diffusion.

Fantastic link. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I thought I might be missing something. I didn't know you could get a flash that didn't have to sit on your camera. Very interesting.

BTW your flickr files are gorgeous. Very nice.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth

You're welcome. While getting the flash off camera usually nets the most pleasing results, keeping it on camera and bouncing or diffusing it (see link in my first reply) can net some very pleasing results as well. Just about anything besides direct flash will help you avoid the washed out look.

If you don't want to buy an external flash, you can try diffusing the built in flash. There are some commercially available products, or you can fabricate your own. The easiest DIY method is to get one of those translucent white film canisters, cut it down the side, and slip it over the pop-up flash.

Oh and thank you for the nice comments. :D

Another thing you can try is to reduce the output of your in camera flash (done via the menu) and use a lamp to create directed ambient light - I've used a spotlight in a floor lamp with a shade that angles down. Just taking the shade off a regular lamp can work too.

Take heart, brighter days will arrive in Chicago :)

To add to what others have stated- don't be afraid to crank up the iso when shooting w/ available ambient light.

I noticed in both those shots you are only at iso 400- you may be able to achieve a better exposure at iso 800 or higher under conditions like in that 2nd shot.

BM