Capture the Mood Using "Slow Synchro" Flash

Often referred to as nighttime mode, slow synchro flash setting tells your camera to use a slow shutter speed in combination with the flash. By doing this, you can capture more background detail in dimly lit scenes such as portraits shot at twilight or indoor shooting where you want to capture the mood of the setting in addition to having your main subject properly exposed by the flash. Remember to hold the camera very steady when using slow-synchro flash to prevent blurring of the background. If you have a tripod, you may want to use it for these types of shots.

For example, if you’re at a night baseball game, you don’t want the background to go completely black for your portraits because your shots would be missing half the fun. (You could be at home watching TV for all anyone knows.) To capture the vibrancy of the event, set your camera to slow-syncho or nighttime flash mode. Some cameras, such as the Canon PowerShoot S200 and the Nikon Coolpix 2500, hide this setting unless you enable the manual mode. Check your camera’s user guide if you can’t find this flash setting. Once you have slow-synchro flash turned on, you camera will do its best to balance the low light background with the flash exposure of your main subject.