Why do so many people use flash in a stadium?

Question

Going to a sports event or a concert, you'll see thousands of flashes going off, when the people who are taking the photographs are 100-400 feet away from what they are taking. Why?

Do that many people think their little flashes will have an effect on a photo so far away? Do they not realize that the flash usage will actually hurt their ability to take a photo? I can't imagine that many people forget to turn it off.

Answer 1

Because it looks really cool to see all those flashes going off all over the place and they just want to contribute to the scene for the benefit of the entire group.

Either that or they want to go home and see what color hair the person sitting in front of them has so they will know if they were overlooked, indifferent, stupid or clever.

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ADD'L

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I dare say, I own one of the most powerful flashes made - by Metz.  It is a light canon.  I can't use it on my digital camera.  At ISO 400 or so, it can light a stage from about 90-100 feet away.  I've done it, so I know.  I can not imagine anyone trying to light a field or stage from 100-400 feet away with anything less than this.  My Nikon SB800 is only good up to about 60 feet.  I dare say, most of the people you see using a flash in a stadium are not using such a powerful flash.  If anyone tells you that they are doing this as a matter of routine, ask what flash they are using and what the guide number is before you believe them.

Answer 2

you are wrong and in experienced. when using a slr with a flash on the top of it it will help tremendously. if your using a cheap point and shoot the camera will automatically use the flash. with a slr it does help a like i said. i would know this because i photograph football games and other things in the stadium.  

Answer 3

Obviously they are amateurs who have not bothered studying before they click the shutter. That's when we get the ,"Why didn't my pictures come out right?" questions here.

As far as J-seth's remark, he has a lot to learn.

Answer 4

because they are the people that think the more a camera costs the more creative it will be and the better it will be at setting up lights and making images

these same people that think cameras are smart are the same people that say things like "how can i get my camera to take better images"

short answer they are clueless, instead of enjoying the event they spent their time wondering why their shots are black and looking at a tiny LCD while Janets b***s fall out. - they should have bought a more expensive camera they think to themselfs.........

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Answer 5

Because they know not what they are doing.  

Answer 6

They just don't know any better!  But we do don't we!  

Answer 7

They just leave it on automode, and they don't know that the flash has no effect over that distance. Some of them might be geniuses in other areas of life, but photography is not their strong point.

note to Jt C..

That's a very interesting point. And maybe the flash could actually help in this situation, because it will keep the shutter speed fast enough to prevent the brighter subject matter from blurring. Like you say the camera has metered for the overall lighting and decided that flash is needed. Now if the flash is not used then the camera will use a slower shutter speed to acount for the overall brightness of the scene. But if the flash is on it will go into 'flash sync' mode, which is fast enough to prevent blur when hand held. And because the subject matter is under brighter lighting conditions it will still be visible in the photo.

Answer 8

its called zoom. and sometimes on cameras the lighting is bad and you need flash. its not a big deal.

Answer 9

They don't know about the Inverse-square law.

Answer 10

its so the subject wont be blurry.

Answer 11

Well probably because most normal (non-photography lol) people don't realize that it's too far away. They just figure...oh it's dark, time to use the flash. That's what I used to do before I knew better.

Answer 12

Like everyone here has said it is probably mostly because the camera are set on automatic settings. If the meter is averaging the light it will tell them there is not enough and a flash is needed. But everytime you double the distance from the flash, the amount of light reaching the subject from the flash discharge is cut to 1/4 what it was. They may still get pictures they can see but the flash is not the reason its that those on the stage or in the stadium are under brighter lights than those surrounding the photographer  

Answer 13

Hey, didn't you know?  When all those flashes are going off at once, the stadium is plenty bright enough for everyone's pictures!  Yes, even if they are shot with a tele-zoom from waaaay back in the back!

Besides, it just looks so sparkly and pretty!

Answer 14

because, Arthur, they are idiots, whose goal in life is to acquire poorly exposed blurry images of the fuzzy heads in front of them.

it drives me crazy, too.

Answer 15

Well ... not to be critical here, but it seems fairly obvious that at least one poster so far hasn't a clue about your question.

Of course, you're right.  About all those shots will accomplish is a terribly overexposed shot of the bald head of the fat guy two rows in front of you.  (BTW, I'm the bald fat guy to whom I'm referring here.  So don't anybody get their panties in a wad!)

My guess is that most of these shooters have absolutely NO IDEA HOW to turn off their flash.

It's equally comical to watch the tourists taking pictures of the sunset over Waikiki from their hotel balconies.

Answer 16

this is a question many photographers have had  and the only answer is that they DON'T know or don't care, and probably don't know enough about their little pink cameras to turn off the flash.

but you'll get beyond caring about them pretty soon, they are the same people that think shooting a wedding is easy and pro photographers are just greedy guts for charging so much for wedding photography.