Outdoor sunny mid day exposure for fashion

[rickowens]

I'm just starting to shoot some fashion, most of my projects require me to shoot outdoor in some sort of nature surroundings, like at a garden, or at the beach. And most of the time I am required to shoot at the worst lighting conditions during midday when the sun is at its highest. Sometimes I will have a scenerio where the model is in foreground and sky with sun in the background, again this is midday sun where the contrast ratio is extremely high, when I have to choose to overexpose the shot or underexpose the shot, which would be the better of the 2. Yes I have to make these decisions, because sometime I don't have fill, cause usually i'm just by myself don't have anyone to help me hold the fill, and even when I have a fill the contrast ratio still too much that I still have to decide to either overexpose or underexpose.

If overexposure is the answer, how do I bring back the highlights later, because in this scenerio, if I overexpose , the sky is sometimes 2 - 4stops difference, that in Photoshop I am not able to bring back any details.

[oldwolf]

Why wouldn't you be able to have fill flash? A lightstand can hold the fill flash fairly easily if you're triggering the flash off camera and you can use a sandbag or a gallon jug of water to hold the lightstand down if you're worried about it blowing over.

If you're dead set on overexposing then can you bracket and combine the shots in post so you get some decent sky and a properly exposed model?

[JFSanders]

Like oldwolf said, but if you just have to, underexpose and bring the model back in post. In other words expose for the sky as it is easier to keep detail in the shadow and save blowing out the highlights. Me personally, I would get a light stand and sandbags. You can use it to not only hold flashes but reflectors and shades.

Jim