Lighting Tips for Super Summer Shots

You may think the hot summer sun is all you need to create perfectly-lit shots, and in many cases you’d be right. However, sometimes that noontime blaze can work against you, creating over-exposed images or ‘blown out’ pictures that lack rich color and detail. Here are a few tips to make sure that the sun remains your friend:

· Backlighting: If the sun is behind your subject (and is facing you, the photographer), your subject is backlit. When shooting outdoors in harsh sunlight, backlighting can be advantageous in that your subject won’t be squinting due to the sun being in her eyes. Just make sure that the sun’s rays don’t shine directly into your lens as you may end up with flare; consider bringing a lens hood or some other shading device for those daytime photo shoots.

· Wait for the Clouds: If you’re shooting on a cloudy day, consider taking some pictures in overcast light. Skin tones look very natural in this lighting scenario and the overall image may have a softer look than one shot in bright sunlight.

· Fill Flash is Your Friend: Ever see photos of your family with dark shadows on their faces or underneath their eyes? Shooting in bright sunlight can sometimes result in the ‘raccoon eye’ effect. Use your existing camera flash as ‘fill flash,’ and this will light those areas and eliminate those unsightly shadows.

· Sunset Shots: The color of sunlight changes dramatically during those sunrise and sunset times of day, giving you an opportunity to quickly capture your subjects in a variety of lighting situations. As the sun sets and the clouds move, light direction is affected and color changes result. Using the setting sun as your primary light source can give you a plethora of results, each one unique from another. Try sunset shots for images that display a richness of color or warmth not easily attained during the daylight hours.