Tip #2 : No racoon eyes

Have you noticed the "raccoon eyes" effect in pictures taken on sunny days at noon? While the on camera flash is evil in most circumstances, (we'll talk about that in another post), this is where it shines. Literally.

Problem : The sun creates too much of a contrast for most cameras to handle, so when the camera will determine exposure, which is generally done by some sort of averaging algorithm, it will leave the eyes underexposed.

Solution : Turn on the flash. Most cameras will use a small power discharge which will "fill" the shadows with light.

Bonus : When turning on the flash you get the additional "sparkle" in the eyes, which you see in most magazines, but rarely anywhere else (click on the picture to see a larger version).