If you're a shutterbug like me, and you enjoy taking photos outdoors, you will often find yourself in direct sunlight.
Other than protecting yourself from the sun by wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, and by applying sunscreen every two hours, there is one more thing you can do. And it's good for your photos and you--
Take pictures in early morning or late afternoon when the sunlight, including UV light, is less intense.
When the sun intensity peaks around noon, and you shoot some pictures, you're likely to see harsh dark shadows and very bright highlights. These translate into light and dark areas in your photos and an absence of detail.
"The worst possible lighting for people portraits is direct sunlight at high noon," says the editors of Photographic Magazine in Complete Idiot's Guide to Photography Like a Pro.
Besides, if your subject is facing the sun, he or she will undoubtedly be squinting, and the direct sunlight can accentuate wrinkles. On the other hand, if you shoot toward the sun, your subject in your photos may be too dark if you focus on bright areas or too light if you focus on dark areas.
The camera compensates for high contrast between light and dark by underexposing or overexposing the film in an attempt to achieve balance between the light and the dark areas.
But one solution is to use flash-fill or reflective (card) fill to reduce the contrast of your subject's face, as well as to remove unattractive, deep shadows.
Otherwise, take your photos in the morning before 10 a.m. or wait until later in the day after 4 p.m., when sunlight is less intense and you're less likely to get a sunburn and skin damage.
In the early morning and late afternoon, sunlight has to pass through more atmosphere. Consequently, the blue light is scattered, leaving longer wavelengths, such as red and orange, which are not as easily scattered.
When the sun is low in the sky, you'll be able to capture catch lights in your subjects' eyes as they look toward the direction of the sun. There will be more ambient (scattered) light and less contrast between light and dark.
The result will be more facial detail. And take your people portraits from different camera angles and at different times, from early to mid-morning and then from late afternoon until sunset. Experiment.
However, please don't look through your camera at the sun, nor should your model look directly at the sun.
About The Author
Diana Clarke is a teacher, photographer and freelance writer.
http://www.yourskinandsun.com; dianaclarke2001@yahoo.com
![]() Google News Updated : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:49:35 GMT US Near Changing Stance on North Korea as Terrorist - Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal - By JAY SOLOMON WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is hoping to announce as soon as Saturday that it is tentatively removing North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, in a bid to kick-start a stalled nuclear disarmament agreement, ... AP: US to remove North Korea from terror blacklist US May Remove North Korea From Terrorism List, AP Reports Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:02:40 GMT Democrats Are Gaining, Registration Data Shows - New York Times
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People's Daily Online - US President George W. Bush arrives in the Rose Garden at the White House to makes a statement on the economy in Washington, October 10, 2008. President Bush vows action on financial crisis Bush's Lullaby to the Markets Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:12:49 GMT Genomics project unites four Wisconsin research institutions - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - By KATHLEEN GALLAGHER Wisconsin’s four biggest academic research institutions will collaborate on an initiative aimed at giving the state national stature in the fast-emerging field of individualized medicine, Gov. Marshfield Clinic gets biggest donation yet Wis. governor unveils gene research triangle Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:29:44 GMT G-7 Commit to `All Necessary Steps' to Stem Global Meltdown - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Simon Kennedy Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Group of Seven finance chiefs, meeting after stocks plunged and as a global recession looms, vowed to prevent the failure of vital banks while failing to unveil new initiatives for thawing credit markets. Group of 7 Nations Seek Coordination in Rescue In latest bold step, Treasury will buy bank stakes Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:03:42 GMT Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By John Brinsley and Rebecca Christie Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson indicated that pumping government funds into banks is a priority and said financial markets will remain volatile. US planning to buy equity in financial institutions Treasury Weighs Investing In Banks Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:21:05 GMT McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day - New York Times
New York Times - Senator John McCain of Arizona and his supporters at a rally on Friday in La Crosse, Wis. By ELISABETH BUMILLER LAKEVILLE, Minn. - After a week of trying to portray Senator Barack Obama as a friend of terrorists who would drive the country into ... McCain Moves to Soften the Tone at Rallies John McCain, speaking to supporters, tries to defuse an anti ... Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 05:08:14 GMT Increased Website Traffic |
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