Taking Pictures of UFO's: Flash Bad?

Is taking pictures of low flying UFO's with the flash on a bad idea? I mean, I'm sure it could be for technical reasons. But the reason I ask is because of the dreams I have had.

Over the summer I have gotten more interested in astronomy and space in general. Within the last month I have had two UFO dreams.

The first one, I seen a UFO and ran inside and grabbed my digital camera. Instead of taking a picture, I made a video. The UFO flew around for awhile, and then left.

The second one I had a camera handy, took a picture with the flash on. Next thing you know I had something akin to a spotlight shinning in my direction looking for the source of a flash. I'm uncertain if its intentions were friendly or not, the dream version of myself freaked out and ran/hid. At this point I either woke up, or simply don't remember.

Could a low flying UFO inhabited by an out of world visitor take a flash like that as something hostile and attack? I'm sure many will make the argument that if they had the know how and will to fly here, that a simple camera flash wouldn't phase them.

I just thought I would see what others thought on the subject.

Originally posted by Phoenix Black
Is taking pictures of low flying UFO's with the flash on a bad idea? I mean, I'm sure it could be for technical reasons.

Well, I'm no camera expert. But, from a technical standpoint, a flash could interfere with the quality of the picture. Depending on how bright the object in the sky is, the lighting around you, and the brightness of the flash. You could run into the camera not recognizing the object in the sky because of your surroundings being too bright. A camera (depending on the model, lens', ect) may not pick up the lighting on the UFO or lights in the sky, but the lighting around you or the light in the flash.

Could a low flying UFO inhabited by an out of world visitor take a flash like that as something hostile and attack? I'm sure many will make the argument that if they had the know how and will to fly here, that a simple camera flash wouldn't phase them.

Well, I hardly doubt a flash would bother them, unless of course you're right in their face. But, depending on how high they are, and what vantage point you have, they may not even notice it. I don't think they would instantly attack because of a flash, i'm sure they might investigate, or shine a light on you if they felt you were hostile to investigate further.

[edit on 18-10-2008 by red_leader]

[edit on 18-10-2008 by red_leader]

IMO flash and UFOs is a No No as a general rule.

First off, unless you are within 10 or 20 feet of your subject (the UFO) the flash won't reach, and your subject will not be well lit in the resulting photo.

Secondly, since you are trying to document a UFO encounter, you want to preserve the natural lighting as much as possible.

Thirdly, since UFOs are often self-luminous, a flash would not make much difference.

Fourthly, attracting attention to yourself is not always a good idea!

My advice - shutter speed, aperture, and ISO are what you should worry about. Assuming you have not already, get yourself a DSLR - even a second hand Canon 20D will take better quality photos than most current digi-cams, and they can be had for a fraction of what they cost to buy new. Just because they are a couple of years old, does not mean they are somehow no longer any good. A 20D is still a pro-quality DSLR.

Get a tripod, and a good lens too... that is where money will make a big difference, more so than the actual DSLR body itself. Stick to Nikon and Canon IMO. Do your homework, and buy most of your kit second hand, and you can easily put together a very good kit without spending a fortune.

Happy hunting