Family Photoshoot in Harsh Light

We met up at 11 am on a very very sunny day. The little boy was curious, but not very interested in posing for the pictures, and any attempts to make him pose were met with tears. But in the end, it turned out to be one of my favorite photoshoots.

Harsh mid day light is truly a nightmare for any photographer: faces glare unflatteringly and the shadows turn into big black void. But, as it turned out, you can work with it to your advantage!

I love how the sun spills over the fall leaves and the grass is literally glowing. Even though the sun was high up, I still got the beautiful luminous contour from backlighting the models. That was it, simple as that: turning the models away from the sun did the trick.

Putting the models in the solid shade would work great as well. That is where a reflector might come in very handy. One thing you have to watch out for is these dangerous spotty shadows from the leaves and especially branches. Make sure that everybody’s faces are in the shade, unless, of course, it is not the artistic look you are going after.

I enjoyed watching the love unfold through my camera lens and catching little snippets with a shutter button! And I got the best natural, candid looking pictures when I pretended that I wasn’t even there.

What is you favorite trick for shooting in bright daylight?