When I use the flash on my camera (Fujifilm FinePix S3100) the photos are washed out, But with no extra lighting the pics are out of focus.

First of all, the reason the non-flash photos are "out of focus" is that because you don't have enough light, the camera is using a slower shutter speed which results in blur. This isn't the same as being out of focus since what is happening is that the camera is focusing but due to the long shutter speed you or the subject are moving during the exposure.

There are two ways you can try and solve this problem. It might work to put a diffuser on the flash. This can be as simple as a piece of tissue paper over the flash or you can make something more sturdy out of opaque white plastic. I have seen people make them out of plastic from milk jugs.

If that doesn't work, you should use some flash exposure compensation. In your camera, in the Manual Record menu, there is an option called Flash. Under this option you can choose to turn down the flash power by 1/3 stop increments. So try setting this to -0.6 and see if that helps.

As the other reply suggested, you could also try adding some extra light. The trick is to get a light that is approximately the same "color temperature" as daylight and shooting in daylight mode with the camera.

To be honest, you could use any type of extra light source, as long as you set the white-balance correctly. However this can lead to some color issues if the gecko is partly lit by the artificial light and partially by sunlight coming in the window.

I don't like halogens as they give off too much heat, and with a species that can jump, like Rhacodactylus, jumping on a compact halogen could be fatal.
To avoid this, you can buy screw-in type compact fluorescent bulbs at places like home depot that don't get too hot and give off the right color temperature. The color temperature you want is 5500°K. If you read the fine print on the back of the bulb packages, you can find one in that color. With that bulb you should be able to throw enough light to get a sharp photo without flash.


My last comment is about the photo you have posted. If you notice, the gecko and branch are a little too dark in your photo. The reason for this isn't the amount of light in the room, but the large white background. The large white area is tricking your meter and causing this underexposure. You can fix this by using some exposure compensation (EV on the Manual Record menu). If you shot the same photo with the EV set to something like plus 0.3, 0.6, or even plus 1.0 EV, the geckos and branches would be lighter, like they appear to your eye.

Good luck. Do a little reading about camera exposure and you will figure it out. Crested Geckos are great photo subjects. Sometimes I wish I had one when I am trying to figure out a new photographich technique. As it is, I only have one photo.




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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

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