How do I avoid photos like this?

[James L]

If you're dragging the shutter to purposefully introduce more ambient light into the picture, which is usually a very good idea for indoor shots where you don't have a full lighting setup and you don't want that harsh flash-only look from a single camera mounted flash, then shutter speed is still important.

True, but that still doesn't effect the flash light hitting the subject, it effects the ambient light. I never said that shutter speed doesn't effect the ambient. I actually said:

What this means is that you can now set your ambient light and your subject light separately. Set your aperture to flash your subject correctly. Now, is your ambient light too dark? Just open up that shutter speed and let more ambient light hit your sensor.

 

[compuwar]

True, but that still doesn't effect the flash light hitting the subject, it effects the ambient light. I never said that shutter speed doesn't effect the ambient. I actually said:

I was clarifying your post, because while it doesn't effect the flash hitting the subject shutter speed up to max sync (including high speed synch on flash/body combos that allow it) really doesn't matter if you're not dealing with a huge amount of ambient light, but shutter speed totally matters in terms of flash to ambient ratios. Most beginners don't really get that and they live totally at max sync speed for years.

If I were nitpicking, then I'd have taken exception with

Using flash allows you to expand the range of light your camera will record, because you can expose for the darker areas, and fill in where you want with flash.

Because flash most certainly doesn't change the range of light the camera can record, that's fixed by the dynamic range of the sensor, it changes the dynamic range in parts of the scene by bringing up the light level in those parts.

For completeness, technically, shutter speed over the max sync speed does have an effect on flash- or at least the camera's ability to record it- if you're going to be ultra-picky, shutter speed doesn't have an effect on any lighting- ambient, natural, flash, artificial or any combination thereof- it has an effect on exposure- however I was clarifying based upon the intent of the statement, not it's absolute meaning which would have been moot if we were being that picky.

 

[James L]

I was clarifying your post, because while it doesn't effect the flash hitting the subject shutter speed up to max sync (including high speed synch on flash/body combos that allow it) really doesn't matter if you're not dealing with a huge amount of ambient light, but shutter speed totally matters in terms of flash to ambient ratios. Most beginners don't really get that and they live totally at max sync speed for years.

I agree this is a point worth paraphrasing. You and I are saying the same things on this.

Because flash most certainly doesn't change the range of light the camera can record, that's fixed by the dynamic range of the sensor, it changes the dynamic range in parts of the scene by bringing up the light level in those parts.

Well said!

 

[Phrasikleia]

Outdoor flash

Another example of using/not using outdoor flash:

In example posted earlier this thread, the subject really does look "flashed"; there is a burst of light around his upper half (still a nice photo, nonetheless). I think the second photo here shows how outdoor flash can also look very natural. If you didn't have the "before" version to compare it with, you wouldn't necessarily think a flash had been used.

(Sorry to use a poorly composed shot as an example, but it suits the purpose well!)