TTG and flash photography
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1. Flash photos that CAN qualify as TTG
(The term “flash” refers to flashes, speedlights, and strobes.)
Countless trusted news photographs have been made using flash, and these actions usually* do not disqualify a photo from TTG:
• Using a single burst of flash
• Firing multiple flashes simultaneously (and only once)
• Firing multiple redundant bursts of light when neither the flash nor anything in the scene moves during the exposure
*When the result of flash use meets P1–P7 but is potentially confusing or deceptive, the photographer may have to use the TTG-IC version of the label to meet P8. See also #3 here.
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2. Flash photos that CANNOT qualify as TTG
The following do disqualify a photo from TTG (see P4 and FAQ #14):
• Multi-direction flash bursts that are not simultaneous, and/or “light painting,” result in disqualification because of satode (per P4; see FAQ #24).
• Firing a flash multiple times when there is movement in the scene* results in disqualification because it creates SMP effects (per P4).
• Removing flash reflections from a photo results in disqualification because flash reflections on the subject count as “forms and shapes” and are subject to all of the restrictions enumerated in P2 (this is also disqualified by P7).
• Adding a simulated “flash effect” (as is possible with lighting effects available on smartphones) results in disqualification by P2 and P7.
*When a scene has motion or changes in it, the surest way to make a TTG photo is with a continuously lit, single-exposure photograph (depicting normal motion blur is no problem).