Getting drowned out in the sun

[TheMoons678]

I've had my D60 (I just switched to a D80) for a month and have been taking pictures of our nephew and our friends' children. We went to the park at 11am when the sun was out and I couldn't handle the shot with so much sun, ISO 100, and a wide aperture on my 50mm 1.8. I had to find shots in the shade for them to come out, even this one did not turn out well. I think I just got frustrated and put it in auto mode with my 55-200mm.
We then went to the swings and I couldnt get a good shot. I tried with my kit lenses, would focus on him as he was fully extended, wait for him to return to the spot, but by the time it took the shot he had moved out of focus. I switched to my 50mm in manual focus, tried to focus a spot and wait for him to return but had the same problem of timing. (Sorry if this was way too confusing).

Camera: Nikon D60
Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 55 mm
Focal Length: 55.0 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

I typically shoot in Aperture priority mode. What should I do with so much sunlight tho if I don't want a large DOF?

Feel free to check out my few pictures in flickr to spot any reoccurring problems.

[tott7000]

I took just about the same picture and posted on here called "Lily on the Playground". I had the exact same problem you did, and I got a very informative post from senior member dakwegmo. Check it out, I'm waiting for a sunny weekend day to practice. Good Luck!

[CaptainNH]

You're obviously already aware that shooting in the strength of the midday sun poses a number of problems.

If you're looking to shoot wide open in strong sunlight, you have a number of options:

1. If you can, shoot at a different time of day, when the sun isn't so strong.
2. Put your subject in the shade (and use fill flash if you need to).
3. Create your own shade - you can use the use the translucent bit of a 5in1 reflector to diffuse the sunlight and provide a little relief for the squinting model.
4. Cut down the amount of light entering your lens by using Neutral Density filters (or a circular polarising filter) - but as with any filters, be wary of shooting into the sun as they are prone to producing lens flare.

[SaraJane]

Put your shutter speed way up! It won't be so bright and will also be a lot sharper with fast moving kids.

e.g. This is one I took in the full sun
Exposure: 1/3200 sec (a lot faster)
Aperture: f/2.0

[wal]

Sara Jane , really nice pic..

Trying shooting kids on a swing.. Try focussing on a spot (approx the distance you want to capture him) and lock the focus.. using AF lock mode would be easier, and the rest is on your fingers. panning your shot, with the appropriate shutter speed and taking it from the side can create movement in your pic.

[Benji]

I've said this 1000 times, and I will most likely have to say it 1000 times more, you cannot shoot in bright sunshine when using the sunshine as your main light. Yes, you can use it as a background light or hair light although it will nearly always will overexpose them. Yes you can find some stuff on YouTube that says you can shoot in bright sunshine (but not using it as your main light) but be prepared to enlist ten or twelve people to handle the scrims, flash units, gobos, and diffusers to get the job done properly. Forget HSS as it is a joke foisted upon unsuspecting newbie photographers who think they can now shoot in bright sunshine if they buy that camera. It cannot be done. Forget it.

Benji

[TheMoons678]

Thanks everyone for their input. I think I had the mentality that "If I want to learn to be a good photographer, I need to be able to pull off a shot under any conditions." I'll experiment with fill flash, and a faster shutter, will tackle the swing shot, and post some updates.
Thanks guys.

[Benji]

Originally Posted by TheMoons678

Thanks everyone for their input. I think I had the mentality that "If I want to learn to be a good photographer, I need to be able to pull off a shot under any conditions." I'll experiment with fill flash, and a faster shutter, will tackle the swing shot, and post some updates.
Thanks guys.

My suggestion if you want to be a good photographer is to do what you did growing up. Using the analogy of education, start in kindergarten, go through grade school then into high school, and so forth.

Most newbie photographers want to start in the fifth grade and in two or three weeks expect to be seniors in high school and it simply does not work that way. Mastering the art of shooting in bright sunshine is kinda like a soccer mom studying how to drive in the Indy 500. It is great to know how to do it, but how often will you use it. There are lots of problems even if you do get the hang of it. I suggest learning how to shoot in the shade. It is cooler, your subject won't squint and you will love the soft shadows and beautiful details of the lush green foliage behind them.

Benji

[FormElement]

I beg to differ on details. It CAN be done. It's called the "Sunny 16 Rule" It works.

@f/2.8 ISO100 1/3200sec your exposure will be very close to right. You don't need f/1.8 to isolate your subject, if that is the case then you actually need a longer focal length to change the ratio of scene to subject. Even at that if you have a fast shutter, then you can go all the way to f/1.8 @ 1/8000 sec.

Now, what I agree makes full sunlight a potential problem is the dynamic range issue. Full sunlight has way too much dynamic range, and you will blow highlights and lose shadows to black. Those are just facts. Maybe they help your desired end result, maybe they prevent it.

Can Not, and Should Not are two very different things, and both are subject to a variety of conditions, not the least of which is the actual desired end result.

[Benji]

Originally Posted by FormElement

I beg to differ on details. It CAN be done. It's called the "Sunny 16 Rule" It works.

@f/2.8 ISO100 1/3200sec your exposure will be very close to right. You don't need f/1.8 to isolate your subject, if that is the case then you actually need a longer focal length to change the ratio of scene to subject. Even at that if you have a fast shutter, then you can go all the way to f/1.8 @ 1/8000 sec.

Now, what I agree makes full sunlight a potential problem is the dynamic range issue. Full sunlight has way too much dynamic range, and you will blow highlights and lose shadows to black. Those are just facts. Maybe they help your desired end result, maybe they prevent it.

Can Not, and Should Not are two very different things, and both are subject to a variety of conditions, not the least of which is the actual desired end result.

The sunny day f/16 rule gives you proper exposure (f/16, ISO and shutter speed match) on cloudless sunny days after about 10 AM and before about 5 PM. This means anything illuminated fully by the sun will be properly exposed at those settings. The absolute worst times for outdoor portraiture in bright sunshine is also between about 10 AM and 5 PM. It seems none of my clients like images of them squinting at the full sun that is striking them fully in the face, nor after turning them 180 degrees do they appreciate staring into a large silver reflector that is bouncing straight sunshine back into their eyes. For some reason they also don't like the large deep dark shadows that full sunshine renders.

If some people have time to spend positioning gobos, reflectors, off camera flash units, diffusers and so forth while they attempt to shoot in bright sunshine, more power to them, but I will step into some nice cool shade where all I need is my meter and my camera and get a number of well lit images using daylight.

Benji