Shooting in a sunny beach

[Eagle355]

Next sunday i will have a photo shoot in the beach. The sun in my country is very bright and temperatures are around 35-37 degrees Celcius. I can't avoid the bright sun since it will be a jest ski competition in the sea and there would also be a few red bull models posing in the beach near the jet skis. so i can not avoid the mid day sun.

What suggestions-guides can you give me as to what settings to use in such conditions (aperture-shutter speed, iso, lighting meter-i think the evaluative or the center weight will be the best for these situations?)

I will be shooting the models (people) in the beach and i have my kit lens 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 is my camera is a Canon 500D

Thanks

[LeeR]

Are you religious? If so, I'd be praying for a slight overcast or atmospheric haze. What you are asking for would be a challenge for a pro, nearly impossible for an amatuer. I would suggest you use the evaluative metering but set the camera to an EV of -1. Use a polarizer if you have one and look for shade where you can get it. The problem with shooting in direct sun is that the light tends come in extremes; expose for the hightlights and you lose detail in the shadows, expose for the shadows and the highlights get blown out, shoot in the middle and neither looks good. Shooting at EV -1 may leave your models skin a bit dark but it will help keep the sky from getting blown out and the models can be tweaked in PP.

[JAD40]

Most likely since it's an event there will be massive umbrellas, and those pop up tent things. I would capitalize on the shade, and diffused light those provide.

[Eagle355]

Yes there would be tents and umbrellas for shade.. I don't know though if its a good idea to shot from shade towards the sun? I mean for me to be in the shade and the models in the sun

[RLucas]

The models need to be in the shade, where the light is more diffuse and even. Direct sunlight is pretty harsh.

[JoesPhotos]

If you can't find the shade, ask a buddy to come help you. He can block some of the rays by holding a with a reflector. If you don't have a reflector try a white poster board, a big square made of PVC pipe and wrapped in a sheet or a large piece of cardboard works too.

Think outside the box and obviously if it gets late in the day be aware of shadows.

Have fun and don't forget YOUR sunscreen.

[damber]

Might be a bit late now, but it can also help to use a fill flash (especially when photographing the models) to help get rid of any harsh shadows on their facial features - even the one on your camera may help if you don't have a decent off camera flash (though with a good speedlight and high speed sync you can do a lot to combat the sun). Hope the shoot went well.