Why do my flash shots come out harsh

Hi again,

When I shoot with dark settings, the flash is too harsh. What can I do to reduce the harshness of the flash light?

Thanks for your help

Try diffusing the light of the flash in a few ways. You can put anything like a scarf in front of the or you can use a pop-on flash diffuser. You can also redirect the flash in a way that makes the light bounce off the wall or any surface onto the subject.

Hi Dania
Which flash do you use? It is dedicated-Auto or Manual?
visit do you just settle for harsh light here? - Photo.net Wedding and social event photography Forum

Hello,

I shoot photos professionally and I have to say that a flash is overrated. It's great to get people or things in the foreground
sharp when the lighting isn't optimal or to remove these nasty face-shadows.

But honestly, I prefer to let the "natural" light work for me. If you take a photo in a club or on a concert and use a flash,
it's just going to destroy the professional stage lighting and awesome effects of lasershows, smokemachines, etc...

Of course there are times when you just need flash.
Then I would suggest either you get yourself a ttl flash (the thing to pop on your DSLR) and point it into the sky
or you try around a little.
I often damp down the flash with things like a napkin (careful not to take the cream colored ones, they make weird light)
or a piece of white paper. I can also regulate the power of the flash in the menu of my camera. But not all cameras
have that feature.
Just take care if you put anything in between the flash and the subject, if you shoot on automatic mode,
it willprobably be too dark, because the chip inside the camera expected flash.


Of course it would be much easier to help you if you told us which camera you own.
A DSLR, a compact camera or your phone?