FLASH IN STEREO 115Unless desired as a form of bizarre pattern, such a light pattern is
highly irritating.
Flash should be used at a level slightly higher than the sunlight.
This will effectively wash out the spots.
Local color.-This too is encountered among many other con-
ditions, beneath trees especially in the spring when the leaves are
light in color and less dense than later in the season. The leaves
cast a very unpleasant green tint over the flesh tones, which
effectively spoils the picture. Here it is often possible to make
use of the mixed balance, that is a clear bulb, and with type A
a compromise filter. Another common source of local color is
a wall or other large reflecting surface.
Massed contrust.-This situation often occurs in parks. The
model is placed beneath a group of trees, but the open back-
ground is fully illuminated. Under this light, modeling tends
to become flat, and if an adequate exposure is used the back-
ground is washed out by overexposure.
Flash will illuminate and accent the model, but it will die away
so that a group of trees of any size will retain their shaded appear-
ance. At the same time the background will receive only normal
exposure. Thus the best features are preserved, with full, mod-
eled exposure of the figure.
Detail contrmt.-A model on a beach or in some other exposed
location will ordinarily wear a hat or have some other protection
from the sun. If this is discarded a squint results. If it is not
discarded, the cast shadow appears in the picture as heavy, often
blank shadow.
Flash used at balanced intensity will illuminate the face in the
shadow, but will not entirely erase the shadow so that normal
appearance is preserved. The shadow is so light and delicate that
it appears quite normal to the subject and not as a defect.
Mist and fog.-Pictures made in the midst of fog are rarely sat-
isfactory because the fog seems to be more solid and opaque than
it really is. The use of flash iIluminates the fog itself as well as the
subject, and this luminous fog has the tenuous appearance of the
real thing. Such technique is almost essential to such subjects.
Rain.-Usually when a shot is made in the rain, it is better to
have the rain unmistakable, otherwise it may look like a poor
exposure. If flash is used, not only will it overcome the flat light-