Into or behind

[jujitsu1]

I know this may sound stupid but this one gets me all the time. Should I take photos into the sun or with the sun behind me.. If I'm facing the sun wont my photos be too washed out ? and if the sun is behind me and I'm taking portrait shots outside then wont the people be swinting ? Please help

[Japaslavian]

To the side?

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by Japaslavian

To the side?

I was just going to say that....

Best time to shoot is early morning (before 10) or late afternoon (after 4). The sun is low in the sky then, creating the perfect lighting scenario. Shoot with the sun to your side, and use a reflector to even the light out, avoid shadows, and create great catchlights.

I've also done tons of shoots late afternoon with the sun behind the subject (shooting into the direction of the light) - it's wonderful for backlighting, and again, either a reflector or fill flash is a must for this, or you'll end up with an underexposed subject. Spot metering off the face helps with backlighting, as well.

[dcclark]

There are reasons for everything (but yeah "to the side" is probably best).

Into the sun: great for silhouettes, late-evening or early-morning especially. Or, if you really want lens flare (hey, sometimes it's a good artistic choice!)

Back to the sun: gets light directly on your subject. You risk getting your own shadow into the photo.

So, is there a reason you only list those two options? Do you have a specific situation in mind?

[wulf]

It's not about "where is the sun?" but "how does the light work around my subject?". The sun is a very variable light source - location, time of day and weather conditions all affect the light it gives - which is why a hard and fast answer is difficult.

Wulf

[kencaleno]

Concerning portraits, It is better to use a non-directional (Diffused) light source, due to the gradual gradation of its shadow, which doesn’t mar the portrait. If you’re shooting outdoors, for the best modelling you will want the light to strike the model’s face from the side, at 45 degrees vertical and horizontal. First get out of the direct sunlight, either in the shade of a building, or under the shelter of a tree. This will result in your model being lit by a diffused, non-directional light source, skylight or reflected light from surroundings. If you position your model looking towards this light source , the face should be lit with soft, delicate light. All you need to do is to move your subject, or your camera, to get light crossing the face.. What you want to achieve here is to have one side of the face brighter than the other by two stops exposure, giving a 3-dimensional rendering to the portrait. In case there is no tree, or building, you may need to resort to scrims, reflectors or blacks to modify the light to suit. Scrims are sheets of translucent material that are held between the sun and the subject to diffuse direct light. Reflectors are panels of card or material that reflects light, providing a soft quality of light. Usually white, silver or gold in colour, light bounces off the surface and into the shadow areas of the face. Blacks are the opposite of reflectors and they absorb light, instead of reflecting it. By using a reflector, ( Gold gives a warm tanned look, White will be most used, and Silver gives a glint to the model’s eye)
Or you can use fill-in flash as a last resort if reflectors, scrims or blacks aren’t immediately available

Regards, Ken

[Gonzo13]

I say use the sun to get the effect that you are looking for. The ones that said the side are right for probably a lot of occasions. However if it is overcast then it wouldn't work as well. If they are facing the sun and have sun glasses on squinting doesn't matter all that much. Take a friend or family member outside and experiment to see what you like. You could even use a stuffed animal or a mannequin. Real living people might work better though.

[jujitsu1]

Thank you all for your comments. Its just I've been taking photos for a while now and this one as always bugged me.....For some reason unknown I never even thought about the side.lol..I just want to get the best shots I can. Once again thank you