The flash, and the three times it helps

When to let the flash fire and when it is the reason the photograph looks worse than the room did.

The flash on a phone is a lamp the size of a grain of rice. It lights up things within about ten feet and nothing whatever beyond that. Almost every disappointing flash photograph comes from forgetting how short that is.

Key points

• Judge whether the flash can reach — about ten feet, no further
• Let it fire on a face in front of a window, and on small things close up in the dark
• Turn it off behind glass, across a hall, and by candlelight
• Use the flashlight instead when you need to see what you are doing

What to remember

• Behind glass, use the flashlight. It stays on, so you can see the reflection moving and step aside.
• Ten feet and no glass. That is the whole rule.
• The flashlight is in the same panel as airplane mode. Two seconds, day or night.

Try this

Turn the lights off in one room tonight and take the same photograph twice, once with the flash and once with the flashlight propped up beside you. The difference is more than most people expect.

Practice: The flash, and the three times it helps. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.

Related guides

• Watching something in bed, set for the dark
• Dark mode, night light, and which one helps
• A phone that flashes instead of ringing
• Stop it ringing at night
• Night light and brightness