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With graduation parties, end of school celebrations, and those first few beach days filling up the month of June, you’ll be spending a lot of time outdoors taking pictures. Today I’m going to give you some tips on how to shoot in full sun. You can’t always time a photo op so you want to know how to make the most of the light you have.
1. Find some open shade. Duck under a tree, a gazebo, an alley, a porch, etc. The key with shade is to have your subject stand just on the edge so that their face is evenly lit and looking out towards the open sky.
2. Create your own shade. Use a fun prop like an umbrella or a hat.
3. Shoot with the sun behind your subject. This way you don’t get squinty eyes and harsh shadows. Ideally, shooting backlit works best when the sun is low in the sky, but you can make it work midday as well.
4. Look for natural reflectors. Sand, cement, water, a white wall. All of these things are natural reflectors that will help to bounce light back up into your subject’s face when the sun is behind them.
5. Take advantage of the bold color and contrast that full sun can provide and have your subject stand facing it. They can throw on a pair of cool shades to conceal any dark shadows. Or have them look off to the the side or down so that no one is squinting. This is assuming you have a subject who is able to sit still. Lol!