Flash-ishness

I can have my cake and eat it too.  My Nikon says so.  Right now, my new favorite mode is 'M.'  As I suspected, I could adjust the shutter-speed and f/stop independently, and all is right in the world.  I knew it was possible, but I couldn't figure out how to make my Nikon actually do it.  So, in other words, it was more my ignorance on camera operations more than anything.  What can I say?  I'm still a padawan photographer.

However, in my treading across owner's manuals, internet articles and books, I discovered a few more things I didn't know.  Shocking, I know.  My days are filled with things I didn't know about.

I've never the liked flash.  It's evil.  As Matt mentioned, it's the photo-destroyer button-light-thing.  But I'm warming up to it.  You know that whole, make peace with your enemies thing? Kind of like that, but not really. We still aren't friends yet.  

Someday I'll be savy enough to need a REAL flash, like Kiely's. Anyway... 

Our DSLRs are equipped with several different kinds of flash modes.  Not to be confused with flash compensation.  You can see them on your LCD screen depending on which mode you're in.  In 'M' mode, I have (3) different ones:

1)  Regular Flash mode - pesky-pop-up-I'm-blowing-up-your-photo mode
2)  Flash with red eye preventive - interesting - but not a compliment
3)  Flash with rear sync - what the hell does that mean?

I looked it up.  As it turns out, rear sync is something you WANT to have turned on.  As it blends the photograph's lighting better under low lighting.  It's a rear light, or background light synchronization method.  So, when you have to use that pesky pop-up flash, destroyer of photos, use it that way.  It might help sometimes.  It may not.  I'm not too sure what I'm saying is even making sense.  Because I still don't understand the science behind it. 

What I also discovered is how shutter speed can affect color quality.  The below photos were taken at exactly the same f/stop and ISO, but using different shutter speeds and flash modes.  These photos have not been edited in Photoshop.  They're right out of my camera. 

Nikon D5000;  f/stop 5.6;  ISO 200;  Shutter 1/50 sec;  Regular flash

Nikon D5000;  f/stop 5.6;  ISO 200;  Shutter .3 sec;  Rear Sync Flash

Interesting?  Right?  It might save you some editing time later for those of us who never let the world see a photo we take without editing it first in Photoshop.  

I'm done being a blog-hog now.