Use of the flash in a camera can be perplexing to novice photographers. Many are not aware of the limits to the area its light can reach. This means that up to a certain distance the flash will be useful; beyond that, having the flash on won't do any good.

The most basic flash units are for ideal for casual photographing of family etc... or if you are out shooting still life on a dull day and need that extra bit of fill light, it would be a perfect solution. The basic flash units are also beneficial for their size; smaller sizes mean less weight and easier to transport, perfect for the smaller more compact SLR's and point and shoots which have a hotshoe. Even these flash units can have a flash output twice or three times greater than that of the built in flash.

Parents taking shots of their children 50 feet from the stage in a dark school auditorium are a case in point. They find out later that they've gotten pictures of the heads of the audience in front, with the kids hardly visible in the background.

This happens because the subject is too far from the photographer's camera. Light from the flash isn't strong enough to reach the distance. The flash illuminates only the area it can, and that's what the camera captures.

The advanced flash units also have a slave function, which allows you to use them as secondary flash units. Slave units are triggered by the primary flash unit, which is mounted on your camera. It is a very useful function, which allows you to have greater input on the lighting, and it aids in the reduction of unsightly background shadows, which may occur. There is another useful function called curtain sync which allows you to have a light trail following a moving subject.

In many instances, simply putting the camera on a tripod then turning the flash off may be the best course of action you can take. Rather than lighting up heads in front of you with a flash, the camera will make adjustments for the dark area it will shoot if it is set on automatic mode. Look up the manual if you don't know how to turn off the camera's flash. Most cameras keep theirs turned on when in the automatic picture mode.