Easy Photography Tips - Photographing in the Sun with Bright Sunshine
2 minute read
Taking Photos in Bright Sunlight
We've been having a few weeks of nicer weather and the sun has been out. You'd think that it would be perfect weather to take photographs outside, but photographs in bright sunlight can be less than ideal.
If you're taking photographs with people in them, the sun can cast harsh shadows and unflattering light across the face and, depending on where your subject is looking, squinting eyes can be a problem. Here are a few tips to consider for taking photographs when the sun is shining.
Backlight
One of the easiest ways to avoid the problems of harsh sunlight is to turn the person away from it until the sun is behind them. This creates even light across the face (helped out in the case of this photo by the sun reflecting off the white garage door behind me) and a tell tale glow around the hairline where the sunlight is hitting behind.
Shade
Alternatively, find some shade! You're looking for some open shade where light can reach your subject (have them facing out of the shade towards the brighter light), but enough shade to cover them. Again, this creates soft, even light across the face.
Use the Sun - Sunflare
The sun can also be used in creative ways, such as by creating sunflare. This is especially effective a little later in the day as the sun is starting to go down. If you are able to change settings on your camera, increase your aperture (to 16 or 22) and then use something (such as a tree) to partially block out the sun, which will create sunflare.
I hope that you've found this helpful. Let me know if you have any other photography questions you'd like me to talk about in the future by commenting below.