5+ Tips for Shooting in Full Sun

Summer is here and I love summer. But I hate shooting in full sun...the only thing I hate worse than shooting in full sun is shooting in full sun under tree canopy and having light spots all over you subject(s). Wow, that's a lot of { hate } in there...but there are solutions. I have been sitting on this post, waiting to shoot in sunlight, but I thought it important to post anyway. If the sun sticks today, I'll have examples from my kids' T-Ball game tonight.

1) It seems obvious, but find shade. This is a lot easier to do in portrait sessions...but in candid shots (such as swimming at the lake), it is not always an option. On a beach? Find a lifeguard chair or have your little swimmer pose close to the dock, hopefully in its shadow. Like I mentioned above, you would think trees would provide shade, but almost always the light peaks through the canopy and you have a bigger issue than full sun. Instead, position your subject close to the trunk, rotating them so they do not have to look directly into the sun but also so that it is not at their back.

2) Make your own shade. Sure, this is pretty much the same advice as #1, but this is important for when your subject is not moveable or the location is preferred. It can be anything, from the shadow of a person, to an umbrella, or a large sheet of tagboard...nothing fancy is required. You should be able to achieve this with items in your home.

3) Use fill-flash. I try to avoid this if I can because the reason I like to shoot outdoors is because of all the natural light and because it can sometimes overexpose already bright areas. However, in cases like the canopy light spots, I find using my flash can eliminate or at least soften the light blobs on the faces. Fill flash fills in shadows and gives the photo an overall better exposure. Note: use this for subjects in baseball hats as well! Fill flash can be found on your camera's flash menu. For Nikons, simply select the Manual mode and then select the "Flash Control" option. Choose the "i-TTL Balance Fill-Flash for Digital SLR" setting for balance between the background and subject. If you want to focus only on your subject, then choose "Standard i-TTL Fill-Flash for Digital SLR." Hmmm...this sounds like I could do a post just on fill-flash.

4) Use a reflector. This is particularly important when shooting a portrait. The light will bounce off the reflector and illuminate the face. Similar to using a fill-flash setting, but grabbing natural light. Reflectors are fairly inexpensive....depending on the size, they start around $25/$30 and go up from there. Buy online for the best rate. See this GREAT example from www.lightingforphoto.com (I couldn't produce a better example)!

5) Cut down the lens flare. Not sure what the big trend is lately having sun spots on photos, but I choose to avoid this for any portrait sessions. Some shots are actually better with it, but not where your subject is looking directly at you.   

• Using the lens hood that came with your camera is the first obvious choice. If you don't have one, stick your hand over top of your lens. Lens hoods are very inexpensive, around $10-$30.
• Use a filter. I always have at least a UV filter on my lens, for protection more than anything. But when I was on my cruise, I had my polarizing filter on at all times. Polarizing filters help with reflections and also help with colors. Filters can range low to really high....the price varies based on brand. I personally just went with the inexpensive Quantaray brand and was able to get a few varieties. They run around $10-$15.
• Zoom. Sometimes sun spots are taken out of the equation when you zoom in on the subject. If this doesn't work, move around, repositioning you or your subject also will help.

6. Reposition your subject or your shooting perspective can make a big impact. And don't think in terms of just side to side. I many time get up on a stool and have the subject look up at me. Not only can I avoid flare, but it is a great way to bring out the eyes. Note: when my shadow isn't cast over the subject I have them close their eyes and open right when I'm ready to click.

I know it was only supposed to be 5 tips, but here are a few extras:

• White Balance - some people prefer to play with this prior to taking the photo. As I take in RAW, I fix it post-processing but both are good skills to know. See an old post about changing white balance in LV (Nikon).
• Metering - playing with this tells your camera what is most important to you in the photo. There is spot metering, center-weighted metering, and overall metering. I admit, I don't do this often enough. Sounds like another future post.
• Shoot at dawn or dusk - shooting when the sun is directly overhead makes it very difficult. You will also be able to do more creative silhouettes during these times.