What is the minimum distance to be from my subject when using a flash?

Q: What is the minimum distance to be from my subject when using a flash?

For most basic camera flashes a minimum distance of one meter, or approximately your arm’s length, should be enough to get a good exposure.

For most basic camera flashes found on point-and-shoots and instant cameras a minimum distance of one meter or approximately your arm’s length should be enough to get a good exposure. You can always experiment with shooting much closer but there’s a possibility for your subject to be overexposed. With more advanced external camera flashes or cameras with more features, you can control the strength of the flash so it is possible to shoot at proximity and still get a well-exposed photo.

Besides controlling the power of the flash you can play around with the brightness through exposure compensation and ND filters to avoid overexposing and getting a washed-out subject. Exposure Compensation is a feature found on some cameras, including our Instant Cameras, that allows you to override the camera’s light reading to get a brighter or darker photo through overexposure or underexposure. Meanwhile attaching an ND Filter to the lens or flash of the camera will allow you to control and balance the amount of light received.

5 Likes

frenchyfyl, cenkbalaban, oukrid, samuelblues & johbeil.

Anything missing?

Can’t find an answer to your question? Or do you have some useful advice to add to one of our courses? We want to build the world’s largest analogue learning space, so please send any further requests or information to school@lomography.com and we’ll take a look!

Photos From Other Students

Do you want to see your photos featured here for all Lomo School students to see? If you think your photos fit this article just tag them with “flash”. We take a look at all these photos and select our favorites. See all photos tagged with “flash” here.

More Courses

What is the maximum distance to be from my subject when using a flash?

For most basic camera flashes a maximum of three meters should allow you to still get a good exposure.
How to use a flash creatively?

Besides using a flash to brighten up dark scenes, you can also use it in more creative ways by trying it in day time, changing the direction of the light, using slower shutter speeds, or even adding color with the colorsplashing technique.
What is a PC sync cable for a flash?

A PC sync cable is a versatile cable that enables you to connect any external speedlight flash to a camera.
What are the different types of flash in photography?

The two main types of flash are built-in camera flashes and external flashes that attach to the camera via a hot shoe.
In what situations should I use a flash?

The most straightforward time to use a flash is when you have a lack of light in a scene, but beyond this you may also want to use a flash in other difficult lighting situations or as a creative choice.
How do I attach a flash to my film camera?

Depending on the camera, you can attach a flash with either a hot shoe, a flash bracket, or a side attachment.
What is a hot shoe?

A hot shoe is a mount on top of a camera that facilitates the transmission of electronic signals between the camera and its accessory.
What is the difference between an in-camera flash and an external flash?

As the names suggest, an in-camera flash is built into the camera itself while an external flash has to be attached. Besides this, portability and creative control are two other factors that differentiate them.