6 tips to take the best photo in bright sunlight
Tip 1: turn on the flash when you take photos
If you take photos in the middle of the day, you can have a sun right above you. The sun can throw short shadows on the subjects in your photo. That's very inconvenient with portrait photography. That's because you'll often have shadows under the nose, chin and eyes. If you use the flash, you add some light to the photo to prevent this. Note: a face without shadows can look 'flat'.
Tip 2: reflect the bright light
The contrast between dark and light spots is very large, due to the bright sun. This can also result in sharp shadows. You don't necessarily need a flash to soften these shadows. A white surface can also help, like a white sheet. Keep the sheet behind the camera and in front of the subject, to the photo gets extra lighting. A white wall also works. Make sure the sun falls on the subject via the wall.
Tip 3: take a photo in the shadow
Although it doesn't seem logical, it cam help to take a photo in the shadow. Because the sun is very bright in the summer, there's still plenty of light in the shadow. That's because the sunlight is reflected by the surroundings, so it also ends of in the shadow. There's especially a lot of light in alleyways with white walls. It's sometimes more beautiful than the intense white direct sunlight.
Tip 4: experiment with backlight
Embrace the bright sunlight and take advantage of it. For example, put your model between yourself an the sun to create a nice silhouet. Or take a portrait where you play with the shadow. For example, let the shadow cover half of the face. The options are endless
Tip 5: use black and white photography
Do the flash and reflection of light not work? Try to take some photos in black and white. Black and white photography is sometimes even better in bright sunlight. The contrast between light and dark are bigger in bright sunlight. A bright sky looks more impressive in a black and white photo, so your photo gets a dramatic effect. The same counts for portrait photography. A face which catches sunlight becomes more expressive in black and white.
Tip 6: use useful accessories
There are useful accessories available to make sure you don't have issues with bright sunlight. If you use a lens hood on your lens, you make sure the lens doesn't catch a lot of light. It works the same as an umbrella for your lens. In addition, a polarization filter is also useful in bright sunlight. This filter prevents reflections and shimmers from distorting your photo. This way, you preserver the natural light and dark contrast in your photo.
