Shooting in direct sunlight

[scootermcq]

There has been a lot of talk lately about shooting in sunlight. I thought I would do some examples on a bright sunny day about what happens.

Few disclaimers......
1. If at all possible, don't do it! Find open shade, use diffuser panels, schedule your shoot for another time.
2. I do not pretend that these are portraits. These are simply snapshots to show the effects of shooting outdoors.

First option is to put the sun behind the photographer. The face will be lit, but if the sun is high in the sky you will get raccoon eyes like in this example and no matter what your subject will squint.


You can put the sun behind the subject and expose for the face, but you will blow the sky pure white

You can expose for the sky, but....

You can bounce light back at the subject with a reflector, but you will still not get much detail in the sky if it is bright out.

[scootermcq]

You can go with speedlights and highspeed sync, expose the sky and light the subject, but this is expensive (I used $1000 in speedlights for this and I still need more light)

or you can simply dump a crap load of light on the subject and expose for the sky. In this example I used a 600w/s strobe (around 420 GN) at full power


This is the most effective at keeping detail in the background and exposing the subject properly, but involves slugging a bunch of gear and battery packs to do it.

Bottom line is there is really no good way to shoot outdoor portraits at mid day in direct sunlight, but some of these examples will make the best out of a bad situation.

[Tito87]

Thanks for taking the time.

[berardi]

I appreciate the work in this post. At one time I would avoid direct sunlight at all costs until I watched a VHS video from the 80's/90's. There was a powerful idea that I took and ran with. The phrase that stuck with me is "pose to the light."

The idea is simple, but sometimes really hard to work in during the shoot. The sun is bright and usually it's hot outside and makes working rougher.

Your post got me curious to how often I shoot in direct sunlight and I found it's not that often. (I still avoid it, ha!) But, I wanted to show a couple of examples of shoots that I personally felt good about that were direct sunlight. I think the main difference is that I did whatever I had to to keep the sky out of the picture and use the side of buildings, sand, or a white car as a 'natural' reflector for fill light. If I did have the sky in the image, it was the sky OPPOSITE of the sun. (the bluest part, then pose the model accordingly.)

(my images are too big for the forum space, so i only allowed 1 vertical to show, the other to are click-able links)

Here is a direct sunlight on a beach, no bounce from anything other than the sand and some from my bald head. ;D
http://joshuaberardi.com/share/IMG_0...b%20%28Copy%29

Sand bounce again.
http://joshuaberardi.com/share/IMG_5...%28Copy%29.jpg

Aaaand more sand bounce.
[URL="http://joshuaberardi.com/share

I was trying to say pose to the light, but it's seeming more like "pose to the sand."

I think you get the point.

[3bayjunkie]

#2 is the best! Good job. simple and who cares about the sky if it is out of focus with a shallow depth of field anyway. Also putting the sun behind the photographer usually results in lots of squinting

The strobes also look good. Thanks for the example, but then again if you are at a location with lots of people to shoot and candid shots, quite impractical since you would be constantly having to move them to light different people and probably miss the shot :P

Great examples Scooter!

[RichardTaylor]

Thanks for posting this Scott. Good stuff.

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@3bayjunkie
If you are shooting candids;
Try shooting tight (head shots) to eliminate the sky etc
Try a a bit of fill in flash where needed.
Shoot RAW and be prepared to do a lot of PPing.
Do not expect super results, however they can be ok.

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

Thanks Scooter for posting this just when I need helpful information in one place! I'm researching and learning, cramming for my debut as a "wedding photographer" with photos wanted on a beach and beside the harbour

[scootermcq]

Originally Posted by FlyingKiwiGirl

Thanks Scooter for posting this just when I need helpful information in one place! I'm researching and learning, cramming for my debut as a "wedding photographer" with photos wanted on a beach and beside the harbour

No problem. The beach wedding will be one of those situations where you do your best, and whatever comes out they have to live with. Saying that though, you need to advise them upfront what to expect. Try to get them to rent a tent (also, talk about rain..... they are prepared for anything and you get better photos)

For the posed stuff by a pier, get a large diffuser and get an assistant to hold it over them to block the direct sunlight. Makes all the difference in the world.

[ARKreations]

If you are a kelby training subscriber, check out the videos by Cliff Mautner. They are all fantastic, but he has one called "Shooting Around the Clock" where he walks you through the process of shooting outdoors in bright sunlight at 10-12-2-4-6 o'clock.

[zona5101]

Very nice post Scott, great examples too. Thanks!