Some of the tips listed will only pertain to Digital SLR users. These cameras allow you to manually adjust settings, change lenses, and also they provide a hotshoe to mount an external flash. This external flash is much more powerful than the built in flash, & it can give you the option to bounce and diffuse the flash.
Point and shoot cameras will often have a built in flash of their own. This does not provide the creativity of the SLR camera, but some of the following suggestions will pertain to these cameras as well.
- Clearly see your background: Anything in your field of view behind your subject will also be in your finished photograph. Carefully check to see that any shiny metallic surfaces or mirrors are not lurking there. The light from your flash will bounce off these surfaces and come right back to your lens. The result being a big blob of white light.
- Be sure to charge your batteries: The condition of your batteries will determine how long it will take your flash to recharge. In other words, how long before you can shoot another picture. The fresher your batteries are the