Use that harsh mid-day sun!
27.7.2007  |   Add comment   |   No comments  |  Permalink
It's a beautiful day outside, sun is shining. This is a dream for many people on vacation but a nightmare for photographers. Why is this?

Hard light, just like sun, produces steep shadows and makes people squint their eyes. Also the dynamic range between lit area and the one in the shadows is too much for your camera.

Hard sun light can be used to get beautiful outdoor portraits though. Next technique does not require sun during dusk or dawn, but it can be used in the middle of the day as well. All you need is an external flash and a radio trigger or synch cabe to trigger the flash.

First set the aperture to about f/11 and shutter speed to your max synch speed, which in Canon is usually 1/250s. This way the sun won't get over-exposed and you get the fine quality out of your lens. Remember to keep the ISO in your lowest possible.

Now, set your flash to about 1/2 power for starters and place the flash so that it faces your model and toward the sun at the same time. Also place the model so the sun is at 45 degrees behind him/her. This way the sun works as a hair light and your strobe as you key light, just like in a studio.

Take a test shot and see if you need to either:

- set lower aperture to fix the over-exposure of your model or
- set lower power on your flash

This is really that simple. if the background is way under-exposed, set a slower shutter speed until you get it right. As I don't have any pictures done with this technique I decided to take a picture of myself so at least you get some idea behind the technique.

Click the image to get a bigger version.