is it too bright?

[Life in Motion]

i took this on easter of my 4 kiddos. i had like 5 minutes and It was the only shot i got of all them looking at me. nothing real special. i took it in the shade without a flash and the exposure bias was set to 0... but it still looks too bright maybe? so do i need to adjust the exposure levels or white balance...or both? is it better on a sunny day to turn the exposure bias down a few stops anyway even in the shade? or is this just what a bright sunny day pic is suppose to look like? i look at my pictures and start to think my mind is playing tricks on me after a while what is the right exposure level and white balance lol.

canon eos rebel xs
f/4.5
1/250 sec
30mm
no flash
iso 100

[lputman]

No, it isn't too bright. A reflector would have actually been a good idea to brighten their faces and put some light into their eyes. What a cute bunch.

[Life in Motion]

thank you for your comment. would a reflector make the kids squint even more? I know they already kinda have that sun squinting look even though they are in the shade. it was a really bright day outside. but i haven't tried using reflectors outside yet...could you use a car window sun shield thing and get the same results? i think i read somewhere someone suggest that.

[lputman]

Yes, you could use the car window shield. The key is the positioning of the reflector. You wouldn't position it so that it blinds them. Place it to the side to reflect some light, preferrably someone else would be holding the reflector and you could see where it would need to be.

I don't know if you mentioned how bright it was outside while you were taking the picture. The baby is the only one that doesn't appear to be squinting and that would be because he didn't understand in order to react. Give them a moment to adjust their eyes to the brightness and don't comment on how bright it is.

[Life in Motion]

thank you again. i will try the reflector idea next time i shoot some pics outside. having someone else hold it would be key but for now i do most my photograph experimenting on my children and don't have any one there to hold it for me. but maybe i can find someway to lean the reflector up against something when i don't have someone there. thanks again. i thought that the reason there eyes weren't popping was because of too much light making them squint not because i needed more light reflected in their eyes. i can see how positioning the reflector would be key not to blind them. sometimes the things that work in taking pictures seem so backwards to me. I can't wait until i retrain my brain...it will be nice when i know enough to not second guess everything!

thank you again for your advice