Capturing photographs in bright sunlight can leave even the most
experienced photographer running for cover. Powerful bright light can be
very unflattering when taking portraits, it can leave your model with
'panda like,' black areas, under their eyes. However counter intuitive
it may seem these black areas can be lightened by using your on camera
flash. But balancing flash with bright daylight can take a little
practice to get the exposure right.
Get into Position
Conventional photographic wisdom states that you (the photographer) should capture portraits with the sun behind you, so that the subjects face is lit by the sun. In my experience this can leave your model with broken retinas and a squinty looking face! An alternative is to stand your subject in an area of shade or to create some diffuse light by putting a diffuser (the white mesh part of your reflector) between the subject and the sun. This will hopefully mean that your model is bathed in a soft light for a flattering portrait.
Go with the Flow
Instead of fighting the sun (sometimes it good to know when you are beat!) it's a good idea to try and harness the full power of it. The sun is a very effective rim lighter. Rim lighting is produced when the subject is placed between the camera and the sun. The sun can then produce a rather pleasant halo of light around the subject. This can be an interesting abstract portrait technique. If you want to reveal more of the subject than a dark silhouette you will need to experiment with the exposure compensation button.
Lens Flare
Lens producers spend a lot of time and money developing glass that doesn't produce lens flare. But I think lens flare can add an interesting visual disturbance and be something that photographers should perhaps embrace. To increase the chances of getting lens flare you definitely need to get rid of the plastic cuff from the end of your camera - this is specifically designed to help cut out lens flare. You also need to try and shoot into the sun (use your camera in 'Live Mode' you can damage your eyes if you look in the view finder and stare at the sun). Experiment with different camera angles to see which produces the most lens flare.
So don't leave your camera in the shade next time the sun is out - instead use these experimental photography techniques to harness the suns energy.
Get into Position
Conventional photographic wisdom states that you (the photographer) should capture portraits with the sun behind you, so that the subjects face is lit by the sun. In my experience this can leave your model with broken retinas and a squinty looking face! An alternative is to stand your subject in an area of shade or to create some diffuse light by putting a diffuser (the white mesh part of your reflector) between the subject and the sun. This will hopefully mean that your model is bathed in a soft light for a flattering portrait.
Go with the Flow
Instead of fighting the sun (sometimes it good to know when you are beat!) it's a good idea to try and harness the full power of it. The sun is a very effective rim lighter. Rim lighting is produced when the subject is placed between the camera and the sun. The sun can then produce a rather pleasant halo of light around the subject. This can be an interesting abstract portrait technique. If you want to reveal more of the subject than a dark silhouette you will need to experiment with the exposure compensation button.
Lens Flare
Lens producers spend a lot of time and money developing glass that doesn't produce lens flare. But I think lens flare can add an interesting visual disturbance and be something that photographers should perhaps embrace. To increase the chances of getting lens flare you definitely need to get rid of the plastic cuff from the end of your camera - this is specifically designed to help cut out lens flare. You also need to try and shoot into the sun (use your camera in 'Live Mode' you can damage your eyes if you look in the view finder and stare at the sun). Experiment with different camera angles to see which produces the most lens flare.
So don't leave your camera in the shade next time the sun is out - instead use these experimental photography techniques to harness the suns energy.
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