Flash Photo How-2, and What-Not-2

"Take Better Flash Photos"
Wired wiki

"You just spent $500 on a fancy digital camera, so why do your pictures of your kids make it seem like they're playing in the Carlsbad Caverns at night, rather than frolicking in your living room?

"The answer is that cheap flash setup that came with your fancy camera. These flashes are notorious for giving you the 'in a cave' look, the harsh shadows, pale blue-white skin, shiny faces and other artifacts. Few things scream 'amateur' as loudly as flash-wash...."

Okay - so "the answer is that cheap flash setup...." That's helpful - but minimally so.

This is a "wiki," and I'm pretty sure that someone, somewhere among Earth's billions, has better advice than the implied 'don't use a cheap flash.'

Happily, there's a link to a somewhat more informative page:

"Shoot Better Low-Light Pictures"
Wired

"You just spent $500 on a fancy digital camera, so why do your pictures of your kid blowing out the candles on her birthday cake look so terrible? The answer is that indoor, low-light photography is not always as simple as point and shoot. Here are a few tips to help you take better indoor snaps in every kind of low-light situation...."

This page gives fairly practical, specific advice - but assumes that you know some terms like "ISO." It's broken down into five sections:

1. Avoid Using the Flash When You Can
2. Beat the Blur
3. Balance Your Whites
4. Kill the Noise
   • Not as violent as it sounds
5. Timing Is Everything

That "kill the noise" section touches on a point that the Lemming thinks is worth emphasizing: Photoshop is good, but it's not the only graphics software around. If you're not a professional who has to impress clients by saying "I use Photoshop," the Lemming suggests working out what sort of things you want to do with photos and other digital images and then shop around to see which packages have what you want.

I've used Photoshop, but when I'm at home I use the old Corel Photopaint - nobody's going to go 'oh, wow' when I mention the name: but it gets the jobs done.