How to shoot in the midday sun

Photographers have struggled with the strong midday sun since the invention of the camera. Extreme contrast, harsh lighting, heavy shadows, gray images, and other annoying situations are most common when shooting at noon. In fact, there have been many articles about shooting at noon, but this problem still bothers many people. Here are some helpful tips for shooting in the midday sun. 1. Shadows The easiest way to deal with sunlight is to avoid it. We cannot make the sun change its speed, but we can hide under buildings, trees, and some other man-made or natural objects. However, not all shadows are created equal, such as spotty shadows, heavy shadows, wraparound shadows, side shadows, overhead shadows, etc. Remember that shadows are not without light, otherwise you won't be able to capture anything. In contrast, shadows are the softening of light that shines on the subject through other media. It's important to decide from which direction the light is hitting your subject - often light is coming from more than one direction. Under normal circumstances, the nearest reflector or the weakest softened light is the main light source. This becomes especially important after adding background elements. For example, if the subject is at the edge of a shadow with a building in the shadow behind it, the subject will be much brighter than the background. This is because the reflected sunlight is closer to the subject at the edge of the shadow. Moving the subject back, closer to the background, will bring the relative light ratio between the two closer - reducing scene contrast. Understanding the direction of light is important for taking photos with different effects. 2. Prime Lenses and Polarizers Prime lenses and polarizers are great tools for cutting through the harsh midday light. Prime lenses are sharper and have better control of contrast and flare than zoom lenses. Have you ever noticed that photos taken in sunlight have a greenish glare? Prime lenses handle both glare and internal reflections better. In addition, you can also use a hood, which can also have a good effect. Use a prime lens with a polarizer and you'll take sharp photos with more saturated colors and higher contrast. Polarizers can filter polarized light in light and can also reduce glare and ghosting. It can't eliminate the shadows on people's faces under the midday sun, but it will definitely make your scenery and travel photos clearer and more transparent. 3. Angle of Light In this photo, find the right angle for the backlit model so that the light illuminates the outline of her shoulders and hair. But avoid the light from forming bright spots on the face, and make the light on the model softer. The main issues with mid-day photography are shadows under the model’s eyes, squinting eyes, and highlights on the skin. If there are no shadows around you, you can choose to shoot against the light. Just be aware that if you ensure that the model is properly exposed, the sky will usually be overexposed; if you ensure that the sky is accurately exposed, the model will become very dark. Directly facing away from the sun the ratio will be very high. I usually ask the model to turn 30-45 degrees. Be careful of any light spots appearing on your face. Usually I also like to use reflectors. 4. Reflector or Diffuser Using a reflector or diffuser is an effective way to reduce the light ratio between the model and the environment. They can be used in the sun or in areas with a combination of sun and shade. Reflectors come in many different models, shapes, and colors. Their most important purpose is to provide more light to shadowed areas. The reflected light of the white reflector is consistent with the light source. Silver reflectors reflect light more strongly, usually without color cast, and tend to produce a flash-like effect. Gold reflective panels reflect warmer light, while black panels actually absorb the light. Diffusion panels come in different levels - generally 1/4, 2/3, 1 and 2 levels. They were placed between the model and the sun to soften the light. Use a soft light plate to block the sun from in front of the model, and you can get a similar or the same exposure value as the background. This is a particularly popular technique when shooting magazine covers - often used with a 70-200mm lens. Holding the model at a 90-degree angle to the sun and placing a diffuser between the sun and the model will give you the same effect, but in a different direction—in this case, side lighting. If you don't have enough money to buy high-quality reflectors and diffusers, you can make your own from store-bought materials. They may not work as well as high-quality products, but they can work to some extent. You can buy some Styrofoam sheets at your local store and glue them together to make a simple white reflector. I do this a lot, especially when I'm on a budget or traveling and can't bring a large reflector. Diffuses can be made from anything translucent - just make sure they are white or you will cast other colors onto the model. When I was on a budget, I used to use sheets as a diffuser for friends to hold up. 5. Flash A built-in flash, a compact flash or a whole bunch of Profoto gear – sometimes you just have to use them. There are a million and one ways to use flash and I'm not going to get into that topic. This is a task for another article. Keep in mind your main goals - eliminate shadows under the eyes, reduce the ambient light ratio, and get a good exposure for both the model and the background. No matter how you do it - look for shadows, use reflectors, diffusers, polarizers or flashes - your goal is to reduce the scene's lighting ratio and eliminate shadows. Hopefully these tips will help you beat the harsh midday light.