Bouncing your Flash
If you have used a flash for a photo you have surely noticed that anoying shadow halo that appears behind everyone in your photos. Not to mention that the lighting just looks a little unnatural because it is all coming from in front of the subject.
Next time you pull out your flash try bouncing it instead, and if you are creative you can bounce it off of just about anything. If the ceiling is white try bouncing your flash off of it instead of pointing it directly at your subject. You can also try bouncing it off of a nearby wall even if it's behind you.
Bouncing the flash will give you much better lighting simply because it gives you a larger light source and much softer light than what your flash provides when it is aimed directly at your subject. Give it a try and see what you think, it will get rid of those anoying shadow halos and will also help to give you more even lighting throughout your image.
So why does this work? The flash isn't even aimed at the same place as the camera!
Take your flash out right now and aim it at the wall or the ceiling and hit the test button. Did you see the light? So the light from your flash hit that wall/ceiling and bounced back to you. And how big was the light spot on the wall/ceiling? Was it bigger than your flash? What you are seeing is that you have created a bigger light source using the wall/ceiling which will give you softer shadows and more even lighting.
You've basically created an instant softbox that you don't have to carry around with you. The only thing you have to watch out for is if the ceiling or wall is dark or has an odd color that will throw of your white balance. Other than that, you've got a new trick to make your photos even better!