Troubleshooting On-Camera Flash

My flash won’t fire­

• The flash should fire when the ‘test’ button is pressed. Give this a push and see if it works. If the flash fires then the issue is in the camera settings or the hot shoe connection

• When using the default automatic mode on the camera the flash won’t fire unless the camera reads the entire scene as very dark. Switch to Program mode with Automatic ISO and the flash will fire by default

• Try a reboot. Turn the flash off, remove the flash, and reconnect it, ensuring that it is pushed all the way into the hot shoe and is locked in before turning it back on

• Check the camera’s flash menu and make sure that the flash isn’t set to ‘off’

• Flash won’t work when the camera is set to electronic shutter, sometimes referred to as silent shutter, so make sure that this mode is turned off or set to mechanical shutter

• Cleaning the electronic contacts on the hotshoe with a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol, or just a dry microfibre cloth

My flash is too dark or too bright

There are several things that could be contributing to the brightness of the flash:

• Make sure the flash is in TTL mode so that it is changing power automatically

• Flash compensation can also be used to increase or decrease the flash’s brightness, however if you have reached the maximum or minimum flash output then adjusting flash compensation won’t lead to any actual changes in output

• Flash compensation also doesn’t reset, so check that it hasn’t been adjusted accidentally. The intensity of light diminishes rapidly over distance, so it can be difficult, particularly for low power flashes, to maintain appropriate brightness when bouncing off high roofs or distant walls

• If you are bouncing flash, have reached maximum power, and aren’t getting enough light, then you’ll have to reassess and likely use front-facing flash instead.

My flash is unflattering

• Small, specular light sources are generally unflattering in portraiture, and unfortunately an unmodified flash has both of these attributes.

• The light can be made more flattering by increasing the size of the flash and diffusing the light with modifiers, or by bouncing the flash within the room

• Taking the flash off camera can also open up options for more flattering looking light, helps avoid casting shadows onto the background, and can avoid the common ‘paparazzi’ look of poorly implemented flash photography.

My batteries are running out too quickly

• Ensuring you use high quality, high capacity AA batteries will help increase the amount of flashes you will get. The brighter a flash is, the more power it will use, so finding ways to reduce the output of the flash will also stretch battery life

• Try increasing the ISO or opening the aperture, all which will be offset by the automatic reduction of the flash’s power (in TTL mode).

My flash is taking a long time to recycle

• The brighter a flash is, the longer it will take to charge up for the next shot. This can mean missing moments and causing guests to become impatient. The solution to this is to reduce the flash’s power using the same methods as the question above

The colour of my photos is unnatural

• Maintaining natural colours in flash photography can be tricky, particularly in mixed lighting environments. The first thing is to ensure that the white balance is set manually to ‘flash’. If using correction gels, then further manual adjustments must be made to match the colour of the gel. The amount of adjustment to white balance will depend on the brand and intensity of the gel, so check for colour ratings by the manufacturer or test flash colour and make the changes yourself

There are ugly shadows behind my subjects

• Be mindful of what your subjects are standing in front of and try to position yourself and your subjects so that the backgrounds are far away. Taking the flash off-camera, or bouncing it off a wall or ceiling, can also help fix this problem.