Even though taking pictures in bright sunlight can be challenging, you can get great results by knowing what to look out for.
Unfortunately, taking photos when the sun is at its highest point in the sky won’t give you the beautiful colors and even exposures that golden hours provide. Shooting in direct sunlight during noon, or a few hours before or after, can result in harsh shadows and unwanted contrast.
This tutorial will show you how to take pictures of your family or clients during the day.
1. FIND & SHOOTS IN OPEN SHADE
You may want to know where you can shoot in midday.
Find some open shade. What is open shade exactly? A shady place is what open shade is. It’s usually under or next to something. Open shade is easily found, for example, under an awning or next to a building, underneath the leafy branches of trees, or anywhere the sun’s direct beams are blocked.
When the sun is at its highest, finding a place with an open shade is essential for taking photos during midday. You can make your own shade. You can use umbrellas, quilts hung to dry or kayaks slung over your head. Your imagination can soar.
You can see in the pictures below that the shade is open. I hid underneath a huge tree to take photos of a Cake Smash that was for the son of my client. I’ve circled the hotspots and drawn a line at the intersection of the sun and the shadow. Below is a final image so you can get a better idea of how it turned out. It’s nice to see that the image is consistent, with exposure.
These images will also help you find open shade. My son was in his fort, in our backyard. You can see my sun drawing (I’m an illustrator, right?). The sun was almost directly above, as well as a tiny bit of shade underneath the wooden slats. You can find little bits of shade anywhere you look.